Wise men say
by MariaLouisa
Summary: Ella is an exchange student from England. As she enrolls at McKinley for a year, what will happen? Rated T for potty-mouths!
1. Chapter 1

My first shot at a Glee-fic. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Glee-related, only my OC Ella. If I did, though, Artie would be singing me to sleep every night and Puck would be living under my bed :)**

* * *

Leaning back in my plane seat, I closed my eyes as we began our descent. This was definitely my least favourite part of flying, the pressure having its wicked ways with my ears as usual. Nevertheless, I was finally here. Lima, Ohio, the United States of America. My home for the next year.

My name is Ella Maria Michaels, and I'm from Bolton, UK. Now you may wonder, what's a British girl doing in Ohio for a year? Well, I was one of the lucky people chosen to be an exchange student for the next year. I was so excited to go. I would be living with the Anderson family consisting of Jim, Mary and their son, Blaine. We had emailed a bit before my departure, each telling a bit about ourselves, getting to know each other, as well as sending a few photos. They looked like a nice and happy family, and I was looking forward to actually meet them.

After collecting my bags, I headed for the reception area, my heart beating wildly in my chest. I didn't have to wait long though, because I spotted them immediately. There they were, holding a sign saying "Ella", waving with big smiles on their faces. I smiled and made my way through the crowd to the family. Mary immediately enclosed me in a warm, motherly hug, saying, "It's so good to have you here!" Blaine gave me a handsome smile and a one-armed hug, and Jim gave me a warm, firm handshake and welcomed me to the US.

"So, how was the flight?" Blaine asked me on the way to the way to the car. I shrugged and gave a small smile.

"It was okay," I replied, "I managed to get some sleep. 8 hours on a plane is no joke, though. Thank God there weren't any crying kids, otherwise I would have gone barmy," I chuckled. Climbing into the backseat, Blaine shot me a confused look.

"Barmy?" he asked. I let out a small laugh.

"It's British slang for crazy," I explained. He chuckled a bit.

"British people should come with a slang-dictionary," he said, winking at me to let me know he was joking. I laughed along with him.

"Yeah, I might have to pick up a bit of American slang if I want people to actually understand what I'm saying," I laughed.

The car ride home was spent laughing and exchanging slang-terms. Blaine seemed quite fascinated by the cockney slang. The family and I just seemed to click; you wouldn't be able to tell that we had only just met. Well inside the house, Mary gave me a tour of the house and then left me to unpack in what would be my room for the next year.

I was nearly done unpacking when I heard a knock on my door.

"Come in," I called, and Blaine's smiling face appeared.

"Can I sit?" he asked. I sat down on the bed and motioned for him to join me.

"So," he asked me, "How do you like being here so far?" I shrugged.

"I'm still quite chuffed just to be here, it hasn't quite sunk in yet," I smiled. A though suddenly occurred to me.

"We will be going to the same school, right?" He shot me an apologetic smile and said,

"Sadly, no. I go to the Dalton Academy, which is an all-boys school. You'll be going to the William McKinley High School. It's close by though, so I'll be driving you to school," he replied, before adding "My boyfriend Kurt used to go there before transferring to Dalton, though, I'm sure he will be more than happy to introduce you to some of his friends so you won't be entirely alone," he smiled.

I smiled and nodded slowly before snapping my gaze back to him.

"Boyfriend? You're camp?" I asked, not sure if I had heard him correctly.

"Well if camp means gay, then yes, I'm out and proud," he laughed. I laughed as well, a bit embarrassed by my own frankness.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, it's just, you don't seem..."

"Sassy?" he cut me off with a chuckle.

"It's alright, no harm done. It's not like it's the first time I've heard that," he laughed. I chuckled as well.

"Well, I would love to meet some people so I at least have someone to sit with at lunch. If it's anything like high schools in movies, I would hate to sit alone," I told him.

"Well, if you're up for it, I can ask Kurt to come over later and bring some of his friends?" he asked. I nodded eagerly.

"Sure, like I said, I managed to get some sleep on the flight, so I don't think I'm too jet-lagged," I said. Blaine smiled.

"Cool, let me call him and ask," he said before leaving the room to call.

As Blaine left the room, I looked around. The room was nice and spacious. The white walls made it seem even larger. It was nicely decorated. Not over the top, but still not completely bare. I went to look out the window. From there I could see some of the back yard, as well as a bit of the street. All in all this seemed like a nice, regular neighbourhood. There were women gardening and men talking over the fences. Some were trimming the bushes, others mowed their lawns. I sighed. I could see myself feeling at home here. I would miss home, sure, but I had promised my parents and brother I would e-mail them. By staying in touch like that I was hoping it would lessen the homesickness a bit.

A knock on the door brought me out of my thoughts. I turned around to see Blaine standing in the doorway again.

"Kurt is rallying the troops as we speak, he and a bunch of the girls are coming over later," He smiled. I gave a small smile back and turned to look out of the window again. I felt a warm hand on my shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Blaine asked with a concerned look. I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking about home. It's going to take some getting used to. I've never been away from my parents for this long," I replied.

"I'm really excited to be here though. I'm sure as school starts, it will take my mind off things," I added. He nodded.

"Yeah, you're probably right. I understand how you feel, though. I couldn't imagine not seeing my parents for a year." He said.

"If you need to talk, though, you know where my room is," he offered with a smile. I smiled back and reached up to squeeze the hand still resting on my shoulder.

"Thanks Blaine," I replied. "No problem," he smiled back.

Just then the door bell rang.

"Alright, ready to meet some people?" he asked with a grin.

I smiled back. "Totally!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Glee-related. Only my OC Ella :)**

* * *

Blaine opened the front door to reveal four smiling faces belonging to a beautiful guy and three girls.

"Hey guys, come on in!" Blaine said with a smile, as they started filling in through the hall and into the living room.

"Guys, this is Ella, she's from England. Ella, this is my boyfriend Kurt and his friends Rachel, Mercedes and Tina," he introduced, pointing out the people as he named them. Kurt smiled and gave a small wave. Rachel smiled from ear to ear. Mercedes smiled warmly, while Tina gave a small shy smile.

"It is a great pleasure to meet you, I have always wanted to meet someone from England, the very country to house one Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber," Rachel beamed.

"Give the girl a break, miss Vanilla, we don't want to scare her away," the black girl chuckled.

"Oh no, it's alright, really. Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of my idols, his works are pure genius," I said, shooting Rachel a reassuring smile.

"Well, I called you guys over because since Ella obviously can't go to school with me, she's being enrolled at McKinley, and I was kind of hoping you guys could show her around when school starts and maybe be friends or something," Blaine explained as he and Kurt sat down on the couch, taking the boy's hand in his. I couldn't help but smile. They did make a great couple.

"Sure! You don't have to worry about a thing, we'd be more than happy to help you settle in," Mercedes said.

"Maybe you can even join glee-club! Can you sing?" asked Rachel, causing Kurt and Mercedes to groan simultaneously.

"Rachel, did you not hear me asking you to give her a break?" Mercedes said, still with a small smile playing on her lips. I was curious, though.

"What's glee-club?" I asked.

"It's like a singing group, only we compete as well. We hope to win nationals this year, and we could use some new talent," Tina said, speaking for the first time.

"Like a show-choir?" I asked. The girls nodded.

"That sounds wicked! I would love to join! I'm not sure I'm good enough, though," I said.

"Why don't you sing us a song, then? Let's hear what you've got," Kurt said, smiling warmly at me.

"Umm... Sure. Blaine, mind if I use your piano?" I asked.

He shook his head, "Go on ahead, you live here," he chuckled. I smiled and sat down on the bench and started playing. I was a little nervous though. I had only just met these people. What if they thought I was horrible at singing? I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and started singing.

_"If it were love I would give that love every second I had, and I do._  
_Did I know where he'd lead me to?_  
_Did I plan doing all of this for the love of a man?_  
_Well I let it happen anyhow._  
_And what I'm feeling now has no easy explanation._  
_Reason plays no part._  
_Heaven help my heart._  
_I love him too much._  
_What if he saw my whole existence_  
_turning around a word, a smile, a touch?_

_One of these days, and it won't be long,_  
_he'll know more about me than he should._  
_All my dreams will be understood._  
_No surprise_  
_nothing more to learn from the look in my eyes._  
_Don't you know that time is not my friend._  
_I'll fight it to the end._  
_Hoping to keep that best of moments_  
_when the passions start._  
_Heaven help my heart the day that I find._  
_Suddenly I've run out of secrets._  
_Suddenly I'm not always on his mind._

_Maybe it's best to love a stranger._  
_That's what I've done - heaven help my heart._  
_Heaven help my heart"_

As the last note rang out, the living room was silent. Rachel looked like her eyes were going to pop out and small smiles graced Mercedes and Tina's faces.

"Well, someone sure gave Elaine Paige a run for her money," Kurt piped up with a huge smile, and Blaine grinned and nodded.

"You have to try out for glee-club now!" Rachel all but shouted, and Tina added, "We could definitely use your voice!"

I smiled shyly. "I guess, it's not like I have a choice now, right?" I laughed. The three girls shook their heads, making both Blaine and Kurt chuckle.

"Ella, was that you singing?" a voice said from the door way. I turned on the bench to see Jim and Mary standing there.

"Yeah, they mentioned the glee-club at McKinley High, and I wanted their opinion on whether I was good enough to try out," I explained. Jim smiled.

"Well, if both your glee-clubs are going to make it to regionals, it's going to be hard to choose who to root for," he laughed and winked at me.

"Wait, you're in a glee-club too?" I asked Blaine. He nodded.

"Kurt and I are part of the Dalton Academy Warblers," he said.

"Well, bring on the competition, then!" I said, causing the rest to chuckle.

We hung out with Kurt and the girls for the rest of the day, and I couldn't help but look forward to starting school. If everyone were as nice and welcoming as these girls, it should be a smooth ride. I didn't count on it, though. I knew there would always be jerks.

"So, any jerks I should look out for when school starts?" I asked. The others exchanged glances.

"Well, we have to warn you, a slushie facial will probably be coming your way when the jocks find out about you joining glee," Tina spoke lowly.

"What's a slushie facial?" I asked.

"They throw slushies in your face. I do hope they keep from giving you dumpster dives, though. If all your outfits are that fabulous, it would be a crime to throw you in a dumpster," Kurt said.

"They do that to people in glee-club?" I asked, baffled.

"Sadly, yes. I've had many a new collection ruined by those Neanderthals," Kurt sighed.

"You should probably stick to us or some of the other guys in glee-club those first couple of days, though. We'll be your bodyguards," Mercedes said.

"Yeah, I'll talk to Puck and Finn, see if they want to help keeping the slushying at a minimum. They're both on the football-team, and if you're under Noah's protection, no-one will get away with harassing you," Rachel added. I looked at her, my face showing my confusion.

"Who's Noah?" I asked.

"That's Puck's first name. Only Rachel and his mother call him that, though," Mercedes laughed.

"We should ask Sam and Quinn as well. Sam is on the team too, and Quinn is head cheerio. Sam was new last year too, so he knows all about it," Tina said.

"Cheerio? Who would name what I assume is the cheerleaders after a cereal?" I asked, my voice laced with humor.

"Sue Sylvester," the girls chorused.

"And that is?" I asked.

"Evil incarnate," Kurt answered. I laughed at his reply, only to find I was the only one.

"I wasn't joking," he simply said.

"Yeah, that woman's got some serious issues," Mercedes said.

"Last year she wanted to shoot poor Brit out of a cannon during a routine," Tina mumbled. I was shocked.

"Yikes. Don't want to get on her bad side, eh?" I said.

"Don't worry, Mr. Schue tries to keep her in line. He runs the glee-club, by the way. It's called New Directions, he came up with the name. It's like, his baby," Mercedes grinned. I smiled.

"He also teaches Spanish class, so if you're taking that, you'll most likely meet him before glee-club," she added.

"Oh, no, I don't take Spanish, I take German. I took that back home, so it would make more sense for me to continue it here than sit through classes I won't understand anyway," I smiled.

"Ooh, say something in German!" Kurt said excitedly, earning him a weird glance from his boyfriend.

"What? Foreign languages are interesting. Not to mention, the super model Heidi Klum speaks German," he explained.

"Yeah, that's because she is _from_ Germany, Kurt," Mercedes laughed.

"Well sure, what do you want me to say?" I asked.

"Could you introduce yourself in German?" Tina asked. I nodded.

"Hallo, ich heisse Ella. Ich bin 17 Jahre alt und komme aus Bolton, England. Ich bin hier in Amerika als eine Austauschstudentin, und ich möchte sehr gern ins Glee-club mitmachen." I quickly said. Silence fell in the room.

"Damn," said Mercedes.

"What did that mean?" Rachel asked.

"Basically I stated my name, age, which is 17 by the way, and that I'm from Bolton in England, as well as that I'm here in America as an exchange student and that I would love to join glee-club," I explained.

"That was awesome," Tina said shyly.

"Thanks," I smiled.

Later, as Kurt and the girls had left, Blaine and I sat in his room talking.

"How did you like Kurt and the girls? You seemed to get along well," he asked.

"Oh, they're all amazing! They were so sweet and welcoming, I'm sure it's going to be a blast going to school with them. Though, is Rachel always like that?" I asked. He laughed.

"Yeah, she can be a little loud and over the top sometimes, but she's a nice girl and, from what I've gathered from Kurt, a fiercely loyal friend. You can't go wrong with her on your side," he said. I smiled.

"By the way, you and Kurt make a great couple. You suit each other really well, not to mention, I'm going to love having someone around with a good eye for fashion," I chuckled. He laughed.

"Yeah, if you should ever need help in that department, which I doubt though, he and Mercedes are the people to go to. They're partners in crime. Do beware though if they insist on taking you shopping. I agreed to go once, and my arms hurt for days after carrying all those bags," he chuckled, making me laugh as well.

Just then Mary knocked on the door.

"Kids, maybe you should head to bed. You must be exhausted Ella, with the time difference and all," she smiled. Blaine and I looked at the clock on his wall. It read 10:30.

"Yeah mom, you're probably right. Wouldn't want to screw up my sleeping schedule with school starting next week," he replied.

"Yeah, even though I managed to get some sleep on the plane, I have to admit, I'm knackered," I smiled.

"Knackered means tired, right?" Blaine asked and I nodded, chuckling slightly.

We all said goodnight, and I went to my room. As I changed into my pyjamas, consisting of flannel trousers and a simple tank top, and went under the covers, I thought about today. I smiled to myself. Yeah, I could definitely see myself settling in here well, especially if the rest of the glee-club were as nice as the girls. I smiled to myself and closed my eyes, letting sleep wash over me.

* * *

Song featured in this chapter: "Heaven Help My Heart" from the musical Chess.


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow! I can't believe the response I've gotten on this story already! A huge thank you to those who reviewed and favourited the story or put it on story-alert!**

**I also apologize in advance for typo's and mistakes. I'm Danish, so I have just about no clue about the American school system, other than what I've learned from other fics, so bear with me please, haha :)**

**On that note, I might not update very often. At the moment I work 8 hours every day with about an hour transportation time both ways, so I'm exhausted when I get home. I will try to update as soon as I can, though!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Glee-related, only my OC Ella and her family.**

* * *

The days passed quickly. Many of them were spent with Kurt and the girls; others were spent with the family as we all got to know each other even better. Mary especially was very curious about my life back in England, and I was happy to tell. In return, they clued me in on many of the American holidays I would take part in during my year there.

Eventually Monday morning and my first day at McKinley arrived. I was nervous. I wanted to make a good impression without being over the top. Eventually I opted for dark skinny jeans, a band t-shirt, a navy blue cropped jacked and my trusted old red converse. I brushed my hair back into a ponytail and straightened my bangs before putting on a bit of make-up. I usually never wore much makeup, seeing as my skin was quite clear, and I kind of liked my fair complexion and freckles.

A knock on the door caught my attention, and Blaine walked in.

"Hey, breakfast is ready, you ready to go?" he asked.

I nodded, "Yeah, I'm ready. I'm kind of nervous, though," I replied.

"Don't worry, Mercedes will watch out for you," he laughed.

I laughed along with him, and we went down for breakfast. After finishing up, we were ready to go, and soon enough, we pulled up outside the school. Mercedes and Tina were waiting at the gate with smiles on their faces.

"Alright, here goes. I'll see you after school," I told Blaine as I got out of the car. He smiled and wished me a good day, then drove off. I turned to Mercedes and Tina.

"Alright, here I am! Could you show me to the office? I have no idea where to go," I asked.

"Don't sweat it girl, we've got it all covered," Mercedes smiled, and Tina nodded.

After collecting the slips for the teachers to sign at the office, I found Mercedes waiting for me outside the office. Tina had disappeared.

"Hey, where did Tina go?" I asked.

"To talk to Artie. Post-break-up trouble," she said evenly, as if this was nothing new.

"Hey, show me your schedule. Maybe we have classes together," she said. I gave her my schedule.

"Sweet, we have a couple of classes together. We can walk together to those. For the others, I could check people's schedules to see if you share some classes with them," she offered. I nodded.

"That would be rad," I replied. She shot me a confused look.

"What does rad mean?" she asked. I chuckled.

"It's British slang. It means awesome, or cool. I guess I'll have to work on picking up that American slang," I laughed, making Mercedes chuckle.

"Girl, you Brits and your crazy language!" she laughed.

"Then you just wait till I get worked up and go all cockney on you," I replied. She stopped laughing.

"Do I even want to know what that is?" she asked.

"Don't worry, it's nothing offensive. It can be a real pain to understand, though, if you haven't got the hang of it," I quickly explained.

"Ooh, give us an example!" she eagerly said.

"Well, in cockney, your hs tend to appear in words that don't have an h in them, and disappear from words including h. For example, if you would say that someone eats like a horse, it would sound kind of like, "'E heats like an 'orse," " I smiled. She laughed loudly.

"Alright, alright, I hear ya," she laughed and glanced at her watch.

"Well, we'd better find our class room, class starts in five minutes," she said, leading the way to English.

The first half of the day passed pretty quickly, and by the time lunch rolled around, I had had to introduce myself in front of the class on several occasions. That was quite embarrassing, seeing as A: I was never much of a public speaker and B: I had classes with quite a few of the same people.

As we headed to the cafeteria, Mercedes looped her arm through mine and gave me a reassuring smile. We shared three of four classes before lunch, and she was doing a great job of making me feel welcome.

"Come on girl, time to meet the glee-club!" she said, then added, "Well, most of them, anyway. Most of the jocks and cheerleaders still won't sit with the rest of us. You'll probably meet them later, though."

I nodded and let her weave us through the mass of people. Eventually we ended up at a table, where I recognized Rachel and Tina, who both smiled and waved.

"Guys, this is Ella, she's new here," Mercedes introduced me. A chorus of hi's and hello's sounded as we sat down.

"Ella, you already know Rachel and Tina, this is Mike, Finn and Artie," she introduced, pointing out each person, who in return smiled or waved.

"At the jock table are Sam, the Bieber-gone-surfer looking guy, and Puck, the one with the mohawk," she continued.

"And at the cheerleaders' table are Santana, the Latina, Quinn, the small blonde one making eyes at Sam, and Brittany, the blonde girl with the somewhat blank look on her face," she said, pointing out each girl carefully.

"Do they always wear their uniforms?" I asked, not sure if it was normal.

"All the time, even though it's only really required on game days. I guess the like to show off the fact that they rank higher on the food chain," Rachel said with a dramatic sigh. I chuckled. I had come to notice that she tended to be a bit of a drama-queen.

"They are kind of nice once you get to know them, though. I mean, Santana would murder me in my sleep for telling you this, but deep down under the bitchy attitude is a somewhat decent girl," Mercedes said, making everyone chuckle.

After a bit of chatting back and forth, I caught Finn looking at me with a puzzled expression.

"Do I have something on my face?" I asked, suddenly self-conscious, and grabbed a napkin to wipe my mouth.

"No, no, it's not that, it's just... You've got a funny accent," he said, earning him a smack on the shoulder from Rachel.

"Finn! That was not polite!" she scolded, making the rest of the table chuckle.

"It's alright. I kind of expected that one to come sometime... Well for the record Finn, my accent is 'funny' because I'm from England, northern England to be exact," I explained, using my fingers to air-quote the word funny.

"What brings you to America, Ella?" asked Artie. As I turned to answer, I fully looked at him for the first time. He dressed like my grandpa with the sweater-vests and suspenders, but as I looked at his face, I was taken aback by how blue his eyes were. They were a clear blue, like the sky on a sunny day. I quickly pulled myself out of my thoughts to answer him.

"I'm here as an exchange student over the next year, I'm living with Blaine and his family during my stay here. I presume you guys know him?" I replied, to which they all nodded.

"That must be so exciting, to live in another country for a year and experience all the differences in culture," Rachel said with a dreamy look on her face, making Mercedes groan and exchange a glance with Tina.

Just then, the bell rang for the next class.

"What do you have next?" Mercedes asked. I pulled out my schedule to look.

"Science," I replied.

"Me too! I'll show you the way if you'd like," Artie offered. I nodded and stood up, ready to go, when I noticed. He was in a wheel-chair.

I soon realised I was staring, and quickly looked away as a blush crept onto my face.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude or stare," I mumbled.

"It's alright, I'm used to it. Besides, it's hard to miss when I sit by a table," he smiled and waved his hand dismissively. I smiled back, and we made our way to science.

"I hope we do lab-work in this class. Back home we don't do much practical work. It's all so... theoretical," I said.

"Then you're going to love it here, we do quite a bit of lab-work," he smiled up at me. I opened my mouth to reply, when he was hit in the face with some red gooey substance.

"Welcome back to school, glee-fag!" the jock who had thrown it yelled, as his friends laughed and patted his shoulder as if to say good job.

"Oh my god Artie, are you okay?" I asked. He nodded, wiping some of the goo off his face.

"Yeah, as a member of New Directions I'm pretty much used to it by now," he said dismissively.

"What _is_ that stuff?" I asked, grabbing some tissues from a dispenser by the tap nearby.

"Slushie," he simply said. I looked at him, handing him the tissues.

"That was a slushie facial?" I asked, not believing what I had just witnessed.

"I take it Mercedes has told you about them?" he replied. I nodded, grabbing a few more tissues to help clean off the red stuff.

"Well, it looks like I'll be running late for science, just take a left at the end of the hall and follow it all the way down to the end. That's our class room," he said, taking off in a different direction.

"Wait, where are you going?" I asked.

"To my locker. You quickly learn to keep an extra set of clothes when you get slushied daily," he replied.

"Alright. Well, I'll see you in class then?" I asked.

"Yeah, see you in a bit," he vaguely smiled and wheeled off. I glanced at my watch, realizing I was going to be late, and made a dash for it. On the inside, I was fuming. Who did those jocks think they were?


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you guys so much for all the lovely reviews! You make me want to continue this story even more than I already do! Cookies for everyone who reviewed :)**

**I really do apologize if Ella seems Mary Sue-ish in the previous chapters. I personally dislike Mary Sue's myself, so I'll do my best not to make her that! She will develop over the next couple of chapters, I promise. She will have some depth to her :)  
I'm also not really sure I like the Mercedes-Ella conversation in this chapter. I think it sounds kind of juvenile. But I still don't know how to re-write it. Please bear with the suckiness lol.**

**Well, here's the 4th chapter! It's kind of short, but I really wanted to get something out tonight (it's currently about 10:30 pm here in Denmark), and I wanted to pick up where the last chapter left off. So here you go!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Glee-related. Only my OC Ella and her family :)**

* * *

Surely enough, about 20 minutes later Artie rolled into the classroom, clean and wearing a different shirt. He excused for being late and rolled over to the table where I sat. It had been the only vacant table, and I didn't notice until now that there was only one chair at the table.

"Miss Michaels, you'll be sitting next to Mr. Abrams this year. He will also be your lab partner. If you want, you can take a minute or two to get acquainted," the teacher said.

"It's alright, we already met," I replied, smiling a little at Artie, who gave me a dazzling wide smile back.

_"Hold on... Did I just call his smile dazzling?" _I thought.

About 5 minutes later, a note slid onto my side of the table.

_I see you found the classroom alright?_ It said in a handwriting that was quite neat for a boy. I smiled at him and wrote a reply.

_Sure did :) I see you cleaned up alright?_ I slid the note back to him with a smirk, hearing him stifle a chuckle as he read it.

_Touché. Well, when it's a daily routine, you learn to be prepared._ He wrote back. I frowned slightly.

_People shouldn't have to get used to it or need to be prepared. Don't the teachers do anything about it?_

_Sadly not. There's not really much they can do, is there? _He replied. I gave him a small reassuring smile. Just then another note landed on my side of the table.

_Where in England are you from?_

The rest of the lesson was spent passing notes and getting to know each other. I learned that he played guitar, loved playing Halo, which I promised to kick his butt in some time, and that he had just broken up with his girlfriend during the summer. It wasn't Tina, as I had presumed when Mercedes mentioned the post-breakup talk, but the blonde cheerleader Brittany. I honestly had a hard time imagining why a smart guy like Artie would be with a girl who apparently claimed her cat was telling her what to wear every day, but then again, love works in mysterious ways.

As the bell rang, we made our way out of the classroom together to find Mercedes waiting for me. I was laughing at something Artie had just said, causing Mercedes to look at me funny.

"Hey Mercedes," I greeted her.

"Hey girl! You still up for joining glee-club?" she asked. Artie looked at me curiously.

"You're going to join New Directions?" he asked. I nodded.

"I don't think I have much choice. I sang for Mercedes, Tina and Rachel when they came to Blaine's house a week ago, and according to them, I'm good enough to join," I replied, blushing slightly. I never really liked to sound like I was praising myself.

"And damn, were you good enough! You just wait until she opens her mouth Abrams, you will positively be blown away!" Mercedes said with a huge grin on her face.

"So, are you going to audition today?" Artie asked. I nodded.

"I think Rachel will have my head if I don't," I chuckled, making Mercedes and Artie laugh slightly.

"Well, glee-club is next period, so we best be on our way. I'll have to steal you quickly for some girl-time, though," Mercedes said, giving Artie a pointed look. He just laughed.

"Say no more mama, I'll see you there," he said and smiled at me before wheeling off.

"Alright, spill the beans girl. What's going on between you and my boy Artie?" Mercedes asked mischievously.

"Er... Nothing? We're friends, I guess," I replied.

"Yeah, yeah, and I'm the pope of Rome," she grinned.

"Cedes, what are you talking about?" I asked using what I had learned was her nick name.

"It's so obvious, have you not seen the way he looks at you?" she asked.

"Seriously, stop messing around Mercedes," I blushed.

"Alright, alright, I hear you. But I'm just saying, by the looks of it, young Mr. Artie wouldn't mind being more than just friends," she said, making me spit out the water I had just sipped from a bottle in my bag.

"What! Cedes, that's – that's crazy, he hardly knows me, how could he like me already?" I spluttered. She giggled.

"I'm just saying, I think the two of you have some serious chemistry. Who knows what might happen?" She said before glancing at her watch.

"Alright, enough chit-chat. It's glee time!" she exclaimed before grabbing my hand dragging me down the hall to the classroom that was the home of New Directions.

* * *

**Ta-daaah! Here you go. Don't forget to review. You get cookies if you do :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm soooo sorry for being such a bad updater! Life got in the way, in almost every possible way, but now I'm back with another chapter for you, my amazing readers! I never actually thought it would catch anybody's attention, so I'm still a bit overwhelmed by all the reviews and favouriting of this story!**

**I had to throw in a bit of Klaine in this chapter because one, I absolutely love writing Kurt, and two, I just caught up with the last two episodes of Glee last night, and Klaine finally happened! I swear, my inner fangirl is still squealing! I mean, how adorable was it!  
I'm considering throwing in some Brittana as well. Santana confessing her feelings towards Brittany really touched me, and I'm like, why shouldn't Santana have a shot of happiness as well? So look out, people, it might be making its way into this story as well ;)**

**Oh, and cookies to whoever catches the AVPM reference in this chapter! Should be pretty obvious though. And if you haven't watched AVPM (A Very Potter Musical) yet, well what are you waiting for? :D**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing Glee-related. Believe me, if I owned Glee, Klaine would have happened waaaay sooner :)**

* * *

Even before I stepped into what I learned was the choir room, I could hear Rachel's voice. I smiled to myself.

"Yeah, that girl never shuts up," Mercedes mumbled, as if she had read my thoughts. I just chuckled and followed her into the room.

"Ella! You made it! Good, because I didn't want to have to hunt you down and drag you in here myself!" Rachel's voice boomed.

"Yeah, cause believe me, she would," Tina added with a small smile. She was sat next to Mike, holding his hand, and I smiled at how stereotypical it was for the two Asians to go out.

"Well I'm here now, aren't I? No dragging needed," I smiled at Rachel, as a young man walked through the door.

"Ah, I see we have a new student with us!" he said with a smile.

"Mr. Schu, this is Ella, she's a transfer student all the way from England, and she wants to join New Directions," Rachel explained.

"Only because Miss Vanilla here would have her beheaded if she didn't," I could hear Mercedes mutter. Mr. Schu laughed.

"Well, Rachel has a way of finding talent. Ella, why don't you audition for us?" he asked.

"Wait, as in right now?" I asked, slightly taken aback. Mr. Schu nodded.

"Well, I haven't really prepared anything," I explained.

"That's alright, just sing whatever comes to your mind," he replied. I thought hard for a moment as I scanned the room, and somehow my eyes landed on Artie, who was sat next to Mercedes. Both gave me encouraging smiles. An idea struck me.

"Do you mind if I play the guitar as well?" I asked Mr. Schu.

"Not at all, help yourself," he smiled. I grabbed a chair and sat down with the guitar in my lap.

"The song is by Demi Lovato, by the way," I shyly smiled. Then, I started playing.

"_Before I fall too fast  
Kiss me quick, but make it last  
So I can see how badly this will hurt me when you say goodbye_

_Keep it sweet, keep it slow  
Let the future pass, and don't let go  
But tonight I could fall too soon under this beautiful moonlight_

_But you're so hypnotizing  
You've got me laughing while I sing  
You've got me smiling in my sleep  
And I can see this unravelling  
Your love is where I'm falling  
But please don't catch me_

_See this heart won't settle down  
Like a child running scared from a clown  
I'm terrified of what you do  
My stomach screams just when I look at you_

_Run far away so I can breathe  
Even though you're far from suffocating me  
I can't set my hopes too high 'cos every hello ends with a goodbye_

_But you're so hypnotizing  
You've got me laughing while I sing  
You've got me smiling in my sleep  
And I can see this unravelling  
Your love is where I'm falling  
But please don't catch me_

_So now you see why I'm scared  
I can't open up my heart without a care  
But here I go, it's what I feel  
And for the first time in my life I know it's real_

_But you're so hypnotizing  
You've got me laughing while I sing  
You've got me smiling in my sleep  
And I can see this unravelling  
Your love is where I'm falling  
So please don't catch me_

_If this is love, please don't break me  
I'm giving up, so just catch me"_

As the song ended, applause erupted in the room. Rachel was on her feet clapping with a huge smile etched across her face, Tina was whispering something to Mike, who smiled and nodded, and Mercedes whoop'ed loudly making me laugh slightly. My gaze then fell on Artie, who looked like someone had just slapped him. As our eyes met though, the dumbstruck look on his face slowly turned into a big wide smile, making me blush and look away.

"Well Ella, I think it's safe to say welcome to New Directions," Mr. Schu chuckled and gently patted my back.

"Alright guys, let's brainstorm! Any ideas for Invitationals?" He continued.

* * *

"Ella, as captain of the New Directions, I just wanted to officially welcome you to the club," Rachel beamed after glee club was over.

"Thanks Rachel, I'm really glad you convinced me to audition," I replied.

"Well, of course! Why would I let a talented voice like yours go to waste? That would demonstrate terrible leadership, and it is in my best interest that New Directions stay as successful as we have been so far," she replied. I sighed inwardly. I really needed to get used to the way she talked.

"Hey Ella," someone said as I felt a tug on my sleeve. I looked down to find Artie smiling up at me.

"Oh hey Artie," I replied, not being able to hold back a small smile of my own.

"That was one killin' audition, you know that right?" he said. I blushed slightly.

"Thank you Artie, it was the only song I could really think of at the moment," I smiled.

"Well it was great, and the way you played it acoustically gave it more depth, it gave way for the words to come through if you know what I mean," he rambled, a faint pink tinge creeping onto his cheeks.

"Don't worry, I understand what you mean," I laughed.

"Aight, what do you have next?" he asked. I pulled out my schedule.

"English Lit," I replied.

"Ah man, I have Algebra II. I guess I'll see you around then," he said.

"Yeah sure, see you Artie," I smiled and pulled out the map in attempt to locate my classroom.

As I stepped into the room for English Literature, I soon realised this was the first class I had on my own.

"Uh, hello, I'm Ella Michaels, I'm new," I quietly said to the teacher.

"Ah yes, the transfer student. Why don't you sit next to miss Pierce over there, it's the only empty seat. I will catch you up after class," the teacher said.

As I walked to my seat, I wondered why this girl couldn't just help me catch up with the class, until I realised the girl I was sitting next to was the ditzy cheerleader Brittany. I was relieved to find that I wasn't completely alone, as she had been at glee-practise as well.

"Hi," I whispered as I sat down. She turned to look at me with a vacant expression in her eyes.

"I've seen you before," she whispered.

"Uhh yeah, I was in glee last period," I told her.

"That's right. My cat would like your singing," she said dreamily.

"Uhh... Okay?" I replied, not sure if it was a compliment or not.

"You talk funny, why is that?" she asked.

"I'm from England, that's why my accent is different," I explained, somehow feeling like I was trying to explain it to a five year old.

"Really? That's so cool. I wish I could fly a rocket ship," she replied before gazing dreamily into space.

"A rocket ship?" I asked, wondering where that came from.

"Yeah, if you want to go to England, you have to fly in a rocket ship. England is on Mars, my goldfish told me that, and my goldfish never lies," she replied, just before the teacher called the class to order. I sighed and shook my head. This was going to be a long lesson.

* * *

After school, Blaine and Kurt were waiting in the car for me. I had barely made it into the back seat, before Kurt spoke.

"Mercedes called and told me the good news, congratulations on making it into the New Directions! Although, I didn't really have any doubts about you getting in, but it's still great!" he congratulated me eagerly, while Blaine just laughed at his boyfriend's antics.

"Thanks Kurt, I'm actually really relieved," I laughed.

"What did you sing?" Blaine asked.

"I sang "Catch Me" by Demi Lovato," I replied. Kurt turned in his seat to look at me.

"Please tell me someone recorded that!" he said seriously.

"Uhh I don't know if anyone recorded it, maybe you should ask Mercedes," I replied. Before I could blink, he had speed-dialled Mercedes.

"Cedes! Please, for the love of Prada and all that is holy, tell me you recorded Ella's audition today!" he hurriedly said. As Mercedes replied, relief washed over his face.

"Oh thank Gucci, I was so prepared to throw a hissy fit at you if you hadn't! Well, then all is good, I'll talk to you later Cedes!" he said and hung up. I eyed him curiously.

"For the love of Prada and all that is holy?" I quoted him, shooting him a questioning look.

"Oh yes, fashion is my religion. Fashion magazines are my bibles," he replied, contently smiling to himself.

"Beware, he is going to try and convert you," Blaine warned jokingly, making us all laugh. I smiled slightly to myself, before a thought hit me.

"Wait, Mercedes recorded me?" I asked, slightly afraid of the answer.

"Oh yes she did, and she promised she would send it to me so Blaine and I could hear it," Kurt happily replied. I sank back into the seat and groaned quietly.

"Why, is something wrong?" asked Blaine, shooting me a concerned look in the rear-view mirror. I shook my head.

"No, no, it's alright. I guess it's just an American thing, recording everything. I'm still trying to get over the fact that you're allowed cell phones at school," I mumbled, as Blaine and Kurt laughed loudly.

"Well, welcome to America, sweetheart. The very nation of cell phone recording," Kurt said and shot me a wink, making me laugh along with the guys. I smiled to myself as I watched Blaine reach over and grab Kurt's hand and Kurt shoot his boyfriend a loving look in return. Deep down, I hoped to find love like that. I knew they were both only teenagers, but the look in Kurt's eyes told me a different story. A story it turned out I was going to hear soon enough.

* * *

Song featured in this chapter: Demi Lovato - "Catch Me".


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you so much for the reviews, guys! Even if only 2 people reviewed on the last chapter, it still means a lot - it means people actually read this story! Yay!**

**The main idea for this chapter came to me a couple of days ago, and it has been bugging me constantly ever since, so here it is!  
No Klaine in this one, sadly, but instead I threw in a little something else that I hope will be just as good ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything Glee-related.**

* * *

The next couple of days at McKinley passed quietly. About a week had passed, when I was walking down the hallway. As I turned a corner, I barely had time to register the bulky black football player before I was hit in the face by a slushie.

"I see they found a way to replace Fairy-boy! Glee loser!" he shouted, before continuing down the hall laughing loudly.

For a moment I stood frozen to the spot while I did the math. Fairy-boy had to be Kurt. I felt the anger rising within me, and before I knew it, I had spun around and yelled at the football player.

"Hey! Stop right there!"

He turned around with an amused look on his face.

"Are you talking to me?" he chuckled. I stormed down the hallway until I was face to face (well, rather face to chest since I'm tiny and this guy was huge) with him.

"Yes I'm bloody well talking to you!" I yelled. "'O the bloody 'ell do you think you are, eh?"

"Whoa, speak English, short stop," he said with a confused look on his face. Normally that comment would have offended me, but I was too angry to take any notice of it.

"I said 'o do you think you are, walking around 'ere like you own the bloody place!" I continued.

"Sweetheart, look around you. It's high school. I'm a jock. I _do_ own the place," he said, still highly amused by my outburst.

"So what, you think it's all right for you to 'arass people, make them feel bloody shitty for your own bloody benefit? Well let me tell you something, mate. In ten years, you'll be bloody working for the nerds at this place, getting them their bloody coffee because they'll be too bloody busy in their bloody successful jobs, while you'll live in your little shitty trailer with some minger that you knocked up and were forced to marry! You'll never get out of this little shit'ole of a town! You'll be stuck 'ere, just like your old man, and that will be payback for all the shit you threw at people 'ere in school, because guess what mate, karma is a bloody vengeful bitch 'o never forgives!" I yelled at him.

As I finished my angry rant, I realised the hallway had fallen completely silent. Students were standing flabbergasted by their lockers, staring at the scene that had just taken place. It must have been a right sight to see as well. A tiny girl covered in slushie yelling at a huge football player, and in cockney as well.

Just then the bell rang, and people were snapped out of their daze.

"You're real lucky my mama taught me to never hit a girl," the football player grumbled before leaving. I sighed deeply. I knew I had just dug my own grave.

Out of nowhere, Mercedes appeared.

"Come on sweetheart, let's get you cleaned up," she said before dragging me along into the nearest bathroom.

* * *

"That was quite a scene back there," Mercedes said as she helped me wash the slushie out of my hair.

"Yeah well, he bloody deserved it," I grumbled.

"What happened?" she asked. I told her about the comment about Kurt, and how I completely snapped. At the end of the story, she was laughing loudly.

"You just wait till Kurt hears about this, you'll have a BGFF for life!" she laughed.

"BGFF?" I questioned.

"Best gay friend forever," she explained, making me laugh as well.

"Well, one of my mates back at home used to be bullied for being gay. Like, hardcore bullied. Until one day, I gave those morons a piece of my mind. As you saw, just because I'm small doesn't mean I don't fight back," I explained to her. She chuckled.

"Yeah, you've got some bite in ya, girl!" she laughed. I chuckled along with her, then looked down at my slushie stained clothes.

"Um Cedes, you got any tips on how to get this stuff out of clothes?" I asked.

"Sure, just soak it for a long while before washing it. It softens up the fabric and releases most of the colour. You should change out of that though, you'll catch a cold," she said. I shrugged.

"I didn't bring any extra clothes," I said, feeling slightly stupid.

"Alright, stay here, I'll ask some of the other girls, I think you're about Rachel or Tina's size," she said before disappearing out of the door, leaving me on my own.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror. Luckily the slushie hadn't stained my hair since it was so dark, but my makeup had been smudged and was pretty much non-existent at this point. I rummaged through my messenger bag and pulled out my mascara to re-apply a bit, and just as I was done, Mercedes emerged with a shirt in her hand.

"Here, I borrowed this from Rachel. It might be absolutely barf-worthy though, I mean have you seen what she wears?" she rambled. I took the shirt and went into the nearest stall to change.

"Oh well, it could have been worse, at least this one isn't frilly," Mercedes said as I stepped back out again. Just then the bell rang.

"What? Did we miss an entire period?" I asked not believing how fast the time had passed.

"Yeah well, your hair is a piece of work to wash," Mercedes said with a smile.

"Oh well, at least we have glee next," I said as I gathered my things and we exited the bathroom.

* * *

As we stepped into the choir room, applause erupted from the students already there. I blushed and gave a small smile before sitting down on the empty chair next to Artie.

"Miss Ella, rumour has it you gave Mr. Azimio a piece of your mind," he laughed.

"He asked for it," I shrugged.

"What did he do?" Artie asked.

"First he slushied me, then called Kurt Fairy-Boy," I simply replied. "The slushie I was kind of expecting, but I will not stand for homophobic nonsense."

"Acting out on your homophobia usually stems from a fear of being gay yourself," I heard Rachel's voice behind me. I turned to look at her, a questioning look on my face.

"I have two gay dads, I learned stuff like that in middle school," she replied with a shrug.

Suddenly everyone's attention was turned towards the two people standing at the door. Santana and Brittany were holding hands, fingers intertwined, which I didn't really think much about, since the girls back home walked around holding their best friend's hand all the time.

Then the two smiled at each other before Santana leaned in and gave Brittany a sweet kiss on the lips. I was dumbstruck. Not because of the PDA between two girls, but because I would never have guessed Santana to be into girls romantically. Sure, I had heard about her previous adventures with members of both sexes, but I had also heard she was not one for relationships.

Well, I guess things change.

Then I remembered something. I looked to my right to see Artie fidget in his wheelchair, obviously uncomfortable seeing his recent ex-girlfriend kiss another girl like that. I softly put my hand on top of his to stop the fidgeting and caught his gaze.

"Are you okay?" I whispered.

"Not really, but I guess I'll have to deal," he replied with a shrug and half a smile.

I caught his hand and gave it a soft squeeze, to let him know I understood. I couldn't help but notice how soft the skin that was not covered in glove was. I had half expected it from being rough from him using his hands to get around, but the skin that touched mine was smooth, almost too smooth for a boy.

"Thanks," he whispered as I let go of his hand.

"No problem," I replied as Mr. Schu walked in.

* * *

During the lesson, I couldn't help but let my mind wander. Holding his hand, even just briefly and in a completely platonic way, had felt nice. No, nice didn't even begin to cover it. With the risk of sounding corny, it had felt... right. Like our hands fit into each other.

I shook off that thought. I had been at McKinley for a week, and I was already crushing on a guy? I couldn't help but think of what Mercedes had said about Artie and me. What if she was on to something?

Then again, Artie was still in the post-breakup stage. He didn't need a lovesick teenage girl throwing herself at him. What he needed right now was a friend, and a friend was what he was going to get.

Even after just a week in the New Directions, I felt like I belonged. I felt like I truly fit in. Everyone was so nice and welcoming, and if it felt like this after just a week, what wouldn't it feel like after six months, or even a year?

A thought struck me and sent a shiver through my body. I would have to leave again at the end of the school year. Every friend I made I would have to say goodbye to as well. A frown found its way to my face. I would have to say goodbye to Mercedes, Rachel, Tina, Artie – everyone.

Artie must have noticed my frown, because he nudged me gently, gaining my attention.

"Are _you_ okay?" he whispered.

I smiled at him and nodded, earning a smile back.

"Just thinking," I whispered back.

I would have to deal with goodbyes when the time came. For now, I decided to just enjoy my time at McKinley and everything that came with it.

* * *

**Reviews = a happy writer = more chapters! Yay! I'll give you cookies if you review... And who can say no to cookies? :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Oh my wizard God! You guys are totally awesome! I checked back approx. 12 hours after posting, and bang! 3 reviews! You're incredible :D**

**Cookies to Rumbleroars Army (I LOVE that name!), Average Everyday Sane Psycho, Gollum4077 and colormenikki for reviewing! Anyone else want cookies, you know what to do ;)**

**The idea for most of this chapter came to me on an hour-long busride, I practically filled my iPod with snippets of this chapter :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything Glee-related, only my OC Ella. I don't own the featured songs either, I don't make that kind of money.**

* * *

The next day in glee, Mr. Schu started the lesson by writing one word on the blackboard.

"Love," he read aloud. The groans from some of the students indicated that this had been brought up before.

"Mr. Schu, really, again? We have already done this assignment numerous times," said Rachel sounding bored.

"Yes, Rachel, again. I know I've assigned tasks about love before, but this assignment is slightly different. Besides, I wanted to give you an easy first task of the year, since some of you have only recently joined New Directions," he said with a smile in my direction.

"The assignment is to come up with a song with the word 'love' in the title. It can be anything. Like I said, it's an easy assignment. I just want you to find a song and perform it in front of the rest sometime during next week," he explained, before dismissing the group to research.

"Nice, this is going to be easy. The hardest part is going to have to choose a song," Artie laughed from beside me.

"I don't think you should take it so lightly," I told him, "I mean, even though Mr. Schu said it was an easy task, everyone should still try and do their best."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. At least this time we can pick any genre we want," he replied.

"Do you have any idea what song you want to do?" he asked me as we made our way out of the choir room.

I shook my head.

"Not yet. I might have to browse through Old Faithful," I said.

"Old Faithful?" he asked. I laughed.

"My iPod. It's old, it's always been faithful. Hence, Old Faithful," I explained as he laughed along with me.

* * *

The next day I was exiting a bathroom when familiar voices caught my ear.

"No, Brittany, I'm not just going to take you back! You hurt me when you dumped me for Santana! How can I know you won't do something like that again?" I heard Artie's agitated voice say.

"I won't Artie. I love you more than Santana. I won't ever leave you for someone else ever again. Please forgive me," Brittany said, her voice heavy with pleading.

"I'm sorry Brit, but no. You're on your own," Artie said.

Moments later he came rolling around the corner.

"Artie are you alright?" I asked.

"You heard, huh?" he asked, an attempted half-smile on his face.

"Yeah. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but you were kind of hard to miss," I said.

"Well, she can't expect for me to just take her back after what she did, can she?" he asked.

I shook my head no.

"You deserve much better than that, Artie. You're a great guy, you deserve nothing but the best," I told him with a smile.

I swear I could see a blush creep onto his cheeks as he smiled back. Then he patted his lap.

I gave him a confused look as to ask what he meant.

"Well, it's kind of hard for me to hug people normally," he explained, blushing even further.

I felt my cheeks get warm as well, but carefully sat on his lap. He chuckled.

"Don't worry, you're not going to squish me, and even if you did, I wouldn't be able to feel it," he said and winked, making me laugh along with him.

"Now how about that hug, Mr. Abrams?" I chuckled.

His arms immediately found their way around my waist, as I put my arms around his neck and hugged him. I was slightly taken back at how good and natural this felt, just like holding his hand a few days before.

Just then, an idea struck me, and I broke free from the hug rather sharply. Artie noticed the expression on my face.

"You just got an idea, didn't you?" he asked.

I shifted to look at him and smiled.

"Yeah, I did," I said before hugging him again.

"Is it by any case related to Glee?" he murmured in my ear.

I nodded, making him pull back and look at me.

"Really? Is it your song for the assignment? What is it?" he asked curiously.

I smiled deviously at him.

"You'll have to wait and see," I told him.

* * *

When Tuesday came, I was ready to perform in front of the others for the task. The first lessons passed way too slowly for my liking, but eventually it was time for glee.

"Alright, who's today's performer?" Mr. Schu asked.

I took a look around the room, to see if anyone wanted to have a go, before raising my hand.

"Ah, Ella! Good, come up here, you know the drill by now," he smiled before sitting down with the students.

I rose from my seat along with Mercedes and Tina, who had agreed to help me with back-up-vocals and harmonies.

"The song is by Hey Monday," I said before signalling to the band that we were ready.

"_(Whoa, whoa  
Whoa, whoa_

_Whoa, whoa  
Whoa, whoa)_

_You were talking to her  
But messing with me  
It's finally clear  
You're blurring the lines  
Are you disturbed?  
Oh, now you care  
Why do you race through my red lights?_

_Can't understand  
I'll slow it down for you_

_Tell me how can you sleep?  
How can you breathe?  
Baby tell me how  
How you love me now  
(Whoa, whoa)  
Tell me how can you sleep?  
How can you breathe?  
I hate when you say  
How you love me now  
(Whoa, whoa)_

_Save  
Save it for her  
I'm not gonna hear  
Your reasons and "please-just-take-me-backs"  
We never were right  
Don't waste your breath  
You crashed and you're on your own tonight_

_Can't understand  
I'll slow it down for you_

_Tell me how can you sleep?  
How can you breathe?  
Baby tell me how  
How you love me now  
(Whoa, whoa)  
Tell me how can you sleep?  
How can you breathe?  
I hate when you say  
How you love me now  
(Whoa, whoa)_

_Lights out  
I found out  
My falling star  
Goodbye  
The sun rises here  
There's no more you and I_

_(Whoa, whoa  
Whoa, whoa_

_Whoa, whoa  
Whoa, whoa)_

_Tell me how can you sleep?  
How can you breathe?  
Baby tell me how  
How you love me now  
(Whoa, whoa)  
Tell me how can you sleep?  
How can you breathe?  
I hate when you say  
How you love me now _

_How you love me now  
(whoa, whoa  
Whoa, whoa)_

_How you love me now  
(whoa, whoa  
Whoa, whoa)"_

As the applause died down, Mr. Schu got on his feet.

"Just as a formality Ella, what's the title of the song?" he asked as Mercedes, Tina and I went back to our seats.

"It's called 'How You Love Me Now'," I replied.

"See guys, this is what I'm talking about! Just because it has love in the title, it doesn't have to be some sappy love song," he smiled, making the students chuckle as well.

"Alright, anyone else want a go?"

* * *

I got up to exit the room as the lesson ended, when I felt a hand touch mine. I turned around to see Artie take my hand.

"Thank you," he simply said looking me in the eyes.

"You figured it out, huh?" I smiled. He nodded with a small laugh.

"Yeah, the point was kind of hard to miss," he said and winked at me.

As he did so, I couldn't help but notice how handsome he was once you saw past the wheelchair. Then I realised he was still holding my hand.

Part of me wanted to let go. Another part didn't. His hand felt so good in mine.

The other part won.

Then I felt a tug at my hand as he gently pulled me towards him, making me sit on his lap, before he hugged me like he had done a couple of days before.

"Thank you," he whispered again.

"You're welcome," I whispered back before pulling away so I could look him in the eyes.

"Like I said, you deserve to be treated better than that," I mumbled.

As we sat like that, I found myself getting lost in the blue colour of his eyes staring back at me. Without really noticing, we both started to lean in towards each other, until our foreheads rested against each other and our lips were inches apart. He reached up to brush a strand of hair behind my ear before leaning further in and closing the gap between us.

His lips pressed against mine in a sweet, simple kiss. I couldn't help but marvel at the softness of his lips, and how they, like everything else, seemed to fit mine perfectly. The one kiss turned into two, three, four kisses before I broke away.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. I smiled softly at him.

"Don't be," I told him before kissing him once more.

"Let's be clear, though," I told him as I looked him straight in the eyes, "I've come to really like you, Artie. But you and Brittany are still in that post-breakup stage. As much as I like you, I don't want to be a rebound."

He nodded, showing he understood. I gave him a peck on the cheek, just as the bell rang.

"Alright, let's get going. I'll see you, Artie," I smiled at him and got up to leave.

As I made my way to class, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. Artie had kissed me. And it had felt good. No, good didn't even begin to cover it. It had felt amazing.

* * *

**Song featured in this chapter: Hey Monday "How You Love Me Now"**

**Reviewers get cookies :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**I am so sorry for the lack of updates, but the combination of a slight writer's block and a computer acting up doesn't really do much for the creativity...**

**Cookies to Rumbleroars Army (don't worry, I caught the Starkid reference right away ;D), Average Everyday Sane Psycho, colormenikki, x XRoweenaJAugustineX x, Myrle 16 and BandDork13 for reviewing, it means a lot to me, so THANK YOU!**

**This chapter made my heart ache while writing it, but don't worry, everything will work out... Maybe ;)**

* * *

The rest of the week quietly went by. I constantly thought about the kiss I had shared with Artie and what I had said to him afterwards.

Thursday evening I was with Blaine in his room talking. I had just finished telling him what happened with Artie, and was now asking for his advice.

"I mean, I know he and Brittany just broke up, and I know I haven't been here long, but I just can't help it," I told him.

"Well, it sounds like he's already moved on from Brittany," Blaine answered.

"Or maybe I'm just a rebound," I told him.

"Maybe you are, maybe you aren't. There's only one way to find out, really. Well, two actually," he said.

"And those ways are?" I asked.

"Well one, you could just ask him what he feels, that's the easy one. Two, if you can, ignore him or act like you only think of him as a friend. If he thinks of you as just a rebound, he'll let it pass. If he really likes you, he'll notice the change in your behaviour and try to find out what's going on," he suggested.

I thought for a moment.

"Blaine, you're a genius, you know that right?" I smiled. He laughed.

"Just glad I can help," he replied.

* * *

As Friday rolled around, I was a girl on a mission. I was going to find out whether I was just a rebound to Artie.

I didn't see him before glee though, and being just in the nick of time to enter the classroom, I didn't have a chance to talk to him before the lesson started.

I went and sat down next to Mercedes.

"There you are, I was starting to wonder where you were," she said.

"Yeah, the loo-line was huge," I replied.

"Loo-line?" she asked confusedly.

"Bathroom," I replied, just as Mr. Schu began talking.

"Alright, a couple of you still need to perform your take on a song with the word love in the title. Who's first?" he asked.

"Ah yes, Artie, come on up here," he said as Artie had raised his hand.

"Ten bucks he's about to whip out a song by a white rapper," Mercedes whispered to me. I chuckled.

"You're on, sister," I replied.

"Yeah, umm, the song is by a band called Allstar Weekend," Artie said before he started to sing.

"_I've been stopping at green lights  
Got lost on my way home  
I'm sleepwalking at night  
I put my shirt on inside out  
Umbrella in the sun  
My head up in the clouds_

_My friends just laugh at me  
There's only one thing it could be_

_I've come down with love  
Got bit by the bug  
I'm sick and I feel confused  
I know it's true_

_I've come down with love  
I can't get enough  
I won't break this fever  
I need her  
I'm bit by the bug  
I've come down with love_

_You've got me tripping on my feet  
My mind starts racing  
And my heart forgets to beat  
When you start to walk my way  
I forget where I am  
Can't find a word to say_

_My friends just laugh at me  
There's no cure for this disease_

_I've come down with love  
Got bit by the bug  
I'm sick and I feel confused  
I know it's true_

_I've come down with love  
I can't get enough  
I won't break this fever  
I need her  
I'm bit by the bug  
I've come down with love_

_I've come down with love_

_Don't need a shot  
Don't need a doctor  
They can't make me okay_

_It's up to you  
Give me an answer  
Because I'm trying just to see you  
Only want to feel you  
Dying just to hear you say_

_I've come down with love  
Got bit by the bug  
I'm sick and I feel confused  
I know it's true_

_I've come down with love  
Got bit by the bug  
I'm sick and I feel confused  
I know it's true_

_I've come down with love  
I can't get enough  
I'm sick and I feel confused  
I know it's true_

_I've come down with love  
Got bit by the bug  
I won't break this fever  
I need her  
I'm bit by the bug  
I've come down with love_

_I've come down with love  
I've come down with love  
I've come down with love  
I've come down with love_

_We've come down with love."_

At the end of the song, we had all gotten up and started dancing around Artie, and as the song ended, applause erupted in the room.

"Great job Artie! Good to see you step out of your comfort zone. Who's next?" Mr. Schu said as we sat down.

I nudged Mercedes.

"You owe me ten bucks," I whispered with a smile, making her laugh.

As Artie and I made our way to science after Glee, he asked me, "How did you like the song?"

"It was great, it was perfect for your voice," I replied with a smile.

He halted his wheelchair and grabbed my wrist.

"What did you think of the lyrics? I thought they were pretty fitting," he said as a slight blush crept onto his cheeks.

I took a deep breath before looking at him.

"Look, Artie, it was really sweet, and I'm beyond flattered that you sang that for me," I said.

"I sense a 'but' coming up," he mumbled, and I nodded.

"But as much as I like you, it won't work out," I told him, earning a questioning look from him.

"It's not because of my wheels, is it?" He asked, a frown finding its way to his face.

"No! No, God, no," I hurriedly told him.

"Then what is it?" he asked.

"Listen, Artie, I really like you. But we can't be together, we just can't," I told him, trying to ignore the lump in my throat.

"Why not? Because you'll be going back to England?" he inquired, the frown still on his face. Oh, how I wanted to just bend down and kiss that frown away!

"Yes... That, and something else," I told him. He squeezed my hand softly.

"Anything you want to talk about?" he asked, making my heart ache even more from the decision I was making.

"Artie, I just can't be with you. I have baggage, and I always said you deserve better than that. I'm so sorry," I told him, doing my best to ignore the prickling feeling of tears welling up in my eyes.

He immediately let go of my hand and looked at me with hurt in his eyes.

"You really should have thought of that before I made a complete fool of myself back there," he grumbled before speeding off to science, leaving me standing in the hallway alone as a tear slid down my cheek.

I brushed it away and took a deep breath before heading to science, mentally preparing myself for a very awkward and uncomfortable lesson.

* * *

**Song featured in this chapter: Allstar Weekend - "Come Down With Love".**

**As usual, reviewers get cookies ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Yes, ladies and gents, two chapters in one night ;) **

**The idea for this has been bugging me immensely, since it was originally paired up with the previous chapter, but I decided it was time to give Ella some depth. Now, some people say that OC's reflect the author, and I thought, why not let them be right? A bit of myself has been poured into Ella in this chapter, since we suffer from the same mental disorder (haha, I didn't want to give it all away here!). That way I hope to make her as believable as possible in later chapters.**

**DISCLAIMER (seems like I forgot that one in the last chapter... Oops.): I do not own anything related to Glee or the songs in the chapters unless stated otherwise. All I own is my plot and my OC Ella :)**

* * *

The next couple of weeks passed quietly. Artie only talked to me if it was absolutely necessary, Mercedes was trying to figure out if she should help me or be mad at me for hurting Artie and Blaine and Kurt had pretty much become my personal therapists on the whole Artie-situation.

October had long rolled around, and the days were getting noticeably shorter. As I had feared, the lack of sunlight was starting to affect me, and I realised I had to talk to the Andersons, who by now had pretty much become like a second family already.

I went into the kitchen to find Mary preparing dinner.

"Hey sweetie," she smiled at me as I entered.

When I only managed half a smile, she looked at me worriedly.

"Are you alright honey?" she asked with a look of concern. I just shook my head no.

"Is it because of that boy at school? What's his name, Arthur?" she asked after putting down her kitchen utensils and sitting down beside me at the kitchen island.

"His name's Artie, and no, it's not something do with him... Well, actually, it sort of is, but that's beside the point. I was wondering if I could talk to you, Jim and Blaine? I have something I should tell you, and I want all of you to know," I told her.

"Of course sweetheart, I'll go get them," she said before standing up to ask Jim and Blaine to come.

When we were all seated in the living room, Mary spoke again.

"What was it you wanted to talk about, dear?" she asked.

"It's more of a warning, I guess... I just want you all to know, since we're living under the same roof, that I..." I trailed off.

Blaine, who was sitting beside me, took my hand in his and squeezed it softly. I took a deep breath.

"I suffer from a clinical depression. The kind I have is somewhat similar to seasonal affective disorder, since it's often being set off by lack of sunlight, but it doesn't go away again when spring comes. I was diagnosed last winter for the second time after I spent a month not leaving my bed. My mum pretty much had to drag me to the doctor to get the diagnosis, and.." I trailed off once again, this time due to the lump in my throat and the stinging feeling of tears welling up in my eyes.

"Anyway, I was diagnosed and have been taking medication since then. Since it's my second time being diagnosed, they recommend a three year treatment. My pills contain a neurotransmitter that's similar to what the brain produces from sunlight, and I'm supposed to double my dose now that the hours of daylight are getting fewer. I'm not asking for your sympathy, don't get me wrong. I just thought you deserved to know," I told them, a single tear sliding down my cheek.

"Oh sweetie," Mary whispered before getting up and pulling me into a motherly hug.

"All I ask of you is to bear with me if I'm having a bad day. I don't expect it to affect my school, since Blaine drives me to and from school, but I might be having a little trouble getting out of bed during weekends," I told them while brushing away the tear.

"Of course," Jim said as Mary sat back down.

"Do you have enough medication?" Mary asked.

"Yes, I made sure to stock up before I came here. I have enough for the year I'm staying here, I couldn't possibly ask you to buy my medication," I said blushing slightly.

"Well, I'm glad you told us. We'll do what we can to help," Jim said with a warm smile.

"Thank you," I smiled back.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you get out of bed on weekends," Blaine said nudging me softly.

"Thank you," I said and nudged him back.

"Well, I should get back to making dinner," Mary said standing up.

"Do you want help?" I asked, receiving a smile from her.

"Thank you dear, that would be lovely," she replied.

* * *

After telling the family, I decided I should tell my friends as well. The next day I called up Mercedes to ask if she wanted to join me for coffee, since I had something to tell her. She agreed to meet me at the Lima Bean at noon, since it was Saturday and we didn't have school.

"What's up girl?" she said once we had gotten our beverages.

I quickly told her what I had told the family, including that I wasn't looking for pity.

"Damn, that's heavy, sweetie. I'm glad you told me though," she said giving me a warm smile.

"Actually, that's not fully the reason I told you," I said before taking a sip of my coffee.

"That's why you told Artie you couldn't be together, isn't it?" she asked. I nodded.

"I couldn't possibly ask him to be with me without filling him in on everything, and I just wasn't ready for that yet. Cedes, what if I've wasted my chance? He still isn't talking to me," I said.

"Sweetie, I know he still feels the same. He's just hurt, that's all. I'm sure he would understand if you told him," she said. I nodded. I knew I had to tell him, and I was running out of time to do so.

"You look like you have a plan, I can hear your brain working," Mercedes chuckled.

I smiled at her and nodded.

"Oh, this is gonna be good," she laughed, making me laugh along with her.

* * *

By Monday, I knew what I had to do. I was walking down the hallway when I spotted just the person I was looking for.

"Puck," I called out to the Mohawk-wearing guy standing by his locker.

"Hey English, what's up?" he said, using the nickname he had come up with.

"I need a favour. Do you know Taylor Swift?" I asked in a hushed tone.

"Sure, she's kinda cool. Why do you ask?" he replied.

"Because I need your help. I need you to learn this song, I'm going to perform it in glee," I told him while handing him a couple of papers with chords on them.

He took a quick look at them before nodding.

"This seems do-able," he said, "it shouldn't take long to learn."

"How long do you think it will take you to learn it?" I asked.

"If I skip math like I always do, we should be able to rehearse this during lunch if you're up for it," he said, taking a book out of his locker.

"Seriously? Puck, that would be great, thank you so much!" I said before hugging him.

"It's cool English, I know why you're doing it," he smiled.

"You do?" I asked giving him a confused look.

"Yeah, it's for Abrams, right? I might not be a genius, but I'm not stupid," he chuckled.

I nodded.

"Guilty as charged," I laughed.

"Alright, well, see you during lunch," he said as the bell rang and we made our way to our classes.

* * *

6th period and glee rolled around, and Puck and I were ready to perform. It hadn't taken long to get the song perfect and ready for performing. We sat next to each other when Mr. Schu came in and started talking.

"Alright guys, Invitationals are getting closer, and we should start rehearsing," he said.

I raised my hand.

"Yes, Ella?" he said.

"Puck and I have been working on something," I told him, and he motioned for us to take the floor.

We grabbed a stool each and sat down, Puck with a guitar in his hand.

"This is, um, an apology," I said, shooting Artie a fleeting glance before looking at Mercedes who sat next to him. She gave me a smile and a thumbs up, as Puck started playing the intro.

_"Here I was again tonight  
Forcing laughter, faking smiles  
Same old tired, lonely place  
Walls of insincerity  
Shifting eyes and vacancy  
Vanished when I saw your face  
All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you_

_Your eyes whispered "have we met?"_  
_Across the room your silhouette_  
_Starts to make its way to me_  
_The playful conversation starts_  
_Counter all your quick remarks_  
_Like passing notes in secrecy_  
_And it was enchanting to meet you_  
_All I can say is I was enchanted to meet you_

_This night is sparkling, don't you let it go_  
_I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home_  
_I'll spend forever wondering if you knew_  
_I was enchanted to meet you_

_The lingering question kept me up_  
_2am, who do you love?_  
_I wonder till I'm wide awake_  
_Now I'm pacing back and forth,_  
_Wishing you were at my door_  
_I'd open up and you would say,_  
_Hey, it was enchanting to meet you_  
_All I know is I was enchanted to meet you_

_This night is sparkling, don't you let it go_  
_I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home_  
_I'll spend forever wondering if you knew_  
_This night is flawless, don't you let it go_  
_I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone_  
_I'll spend forever wondering if you knew_  
_I was enchanted to meet you_

_This is me praying that this was the very first page_  
_Not where the story line ends_  
_My thoughts will echo your name until I see you again_  
_These are the words I held back as I was leaving too soon_  
_I was enchanted to meet you_  
_Please don't be in love with someone else_  
_Please don't have somebody waiting on you_  
_Please don't be in love with someone else_  
_Please don't have somebody waiting on you_

_This night is sparkling, don't you let it go_  
_I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home_  
_I'll spend forever wondering if you knew_  
_This night is flawless, don't you let it go_  
_I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone_  
_I'll spend forever wondering if you knew_  
_I was enchanted to meet you_

_Please don't be in love with someone else_  
_Please don't have somebody waiting on you"_

As the song finished, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Of course everyone knew who I was singing to.

Rachel was the first to break the silence.

"Mr. Schu? I would like to nominate this song as our Invitationals ballad."

* * *

After school I was making my way to the parking lot to wait for Blaine to pick me up when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Hey Ella, wait up!"

I turned around to see Artie wheeling towards me and felt the butterflies start to flap around in my stomach.

"Artie, hey," I said and couldn't help but smile.

"That song was about me, wasn't it?" he asked.

"I think everybody knows it was," I replied blushing slightly.

"Well, I'm confused," he stated.

"I know, and I wouldn't expect you not to be," I told him.

"Enlighten me," he asked.

"I have something to tell you, but it's kind of a long story," I told him.

"Oh. Well, maybe you could tell me tonight at Breadstix over dinner?" he asked. This time it was his turn to blush, and I couldn't stop the smile from spreading on my face.

"I would like that," I told him and watched as a smile broke out on his face as well.

"Great," he said, "How does 6:30 sound?" he asked.

"Just perfect," I replied, just as Blaine pulled into the parking lot.

"Well, there's Blaine, I'll see you later, then," I told him.

As I turned to leave, he spoke again.

"Ella?"

I turned back to face him.

"Yes?"

"I don't have somebody waiting on me." He simply told me.

I smiled at him before taking his hand and giving it a soft squeeze.

"I'll see you tonight, Artie," I told him before walking to Blaine's car, a huge smile never leaving my face.

* * *

**Song featured in this chapter: Taylor Swift - "Enchanted".**

**Reviewers get cookies, as usual :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Who's a bad updater? I am! I had a massive writer's block that cut off all connection between my brain and my fingers! It didn't help that I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my fics, they're my babies so of course I want them to turn out as good as possible :)**

**Cookies to Addicted 2 Romance 101, Average Everyday Sane Psycho (x2 for reviewing on both chapter 8 and 9!), survivingthefear, x XRoweenaJAugustineX x and Abberz the Awesome for reviewing! I swear, I have the best readers in the world! No, really, I brag about you guys on Twitter all the time after checking back on a new chapter :)**

**This chapter might be a little longer, but I really didn't want to scoot quickly over everything. Besides, I figured this chapter needed a heavy dose of Kurt, because A, who doesn't need a daily amount of Kurt, and B, like I've said before, I absolutely love writing him. When I type something he says, I automatically have his voice inside my head, and if something's slightly off, I try to change it to make it more like him, simple as that :) **

**Enjoy the chapter guys and gals, I know I enjoyed writing it, especially the ending (wink, wink ;D)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything that's in any way affiliated with Glee. I wouldn't mind keeping several of them under my bed, though.**

* * *

On the way home I had told Blaine and Kurt about my singing to Artie and agreeing to meet him later for dinner.

"Well, it sounds like you have a date," Blaine chuckled.

"I don't know if it's actually a date, though. I mean, I'm supposed to tell him what I told you about my sickness. That's not really a normal date-topic," I replied.

"Well, you like him, don't you?" he asked.

"Yeah, I do. A lot, actually," I told him.

"Then don't worry. He will appreciate you being honest with him," he said. Kurt nodded.

"From what I have heard from my sources," said Kurt.

"You mean, from what Cedes has told you," I cut him off with a chuckle, making both boys smile as well.

"Alright, yes, from what Cedes has told me, Artie likes you as well. Apparently there has been some serious tension between you in the last couple of weeks," he said.

"Yeah, I probably could have done things smoother," I mumbled.

"Well, don't worry your gorgeous head, when you leave for tonight we'll have you looking absolutely stunning," Kurt said happily.

"We?" I questioned.

"Well of course, you didn't think you were going to get ready on your own, did you?" he asked, turning in his seat to look at me.

"Actually, I did," I told him.

"That's out of the question sweetheart. I obviously don't question your fashion-skills, but second opinions are golden," he told me.

That's when I noticed we had missed the turn to the Anderson home.

"Blaine, where are we going?" I asked.

"To my house," chimed Kurt happily.

"Don't worry, we got out of school early today, so we took the liberty of picking out some clothes for you. They're all at Kurt's," Blaine told me. I nodded.

"Alright, well, let's do this then!"

* * *

Two hours and several outfits later we had finally picked out one that both Kurt and I thought was perfect. He had then insisted on doing my hair and make-up, which I let him since Blaine warned me with his eyes that there was no point in trying to refuse.

"Sweet Gucci, your eye colour is spectacular," Kurt muttered after applying a minimum of mineral powder to my skin.

I chuckled. That was not the first time I had heard that.

"Blaine, come take a look, I can't decide whether they are green or hazel," he then called out to his boyfriend, who looked up from the magazine he was reading at the call of his name.

Blaine stood up and walked over to take a look. I felt slightly awkward having two guys staring at my eyes to determine my eye colour.

"I would say hazel, they're too brown to be green," he then said. Kurt nodded.

"That's what I thought," he said before grabbing a palette of eye shadows. My eyes widened.

"Kurt, pardon my asking, but why do you have a full 15-palette by MAC?" I asked.

"Honey, this is just one of many. I live for makeovers, and I wouldn't be a proper artist without the right tools, would I?" he replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Now close those peepers, I need to get to work," he ordered before continuing to apply makeup to my face.

* * *

As 6 o'clock came around, I was finished and the nerves were starting to kick in. Kurt noticed this and put a hand on mine to stop my fidgeting with the hem of my peasant-shirt.

"If you ruin this outfit, I will hunt you down and kill you," he said in a stern voice.

My hands fell at my sides.

"Don't worry, it's going to be just fine," Blaine said giving my hand a comforting squeeze.

I exhaled deeply.

"I hope so," I said.

"Sweetheart, Abrams will not know what hit him when he sees you," Kurt chimed in placing a comforting arm around my shoulders.

"Yeah, he will positively be blown away," Blaine chuckled.

"Hopefully not so much that he will be distracted from what I'm going to say," I mumbled.

"Don't worry so much. Artie is a cool guy. I'm sure he will understand why you didn't tell him sooner," Blaine said.

I nodded.

"I really hope you're right."

"Well, we should get going. Better five minutes early than five minutes late," Kurt said.

Blaine and I agreed, and after slipping on my beloved black wedges that I had persuaded Kurt to let me wear, we were soon on our way to Breadstix.

* * *

"Alright, have fun tonight and I'll come pick you up at 9, all right?" Blaine said out of the window of the driver's seat. I nodded and waved at them as they drove away.

I took a deep breath before entering the restaurant and was slightly surprised to see Artie already there sitting by a table.

He noticed me right away and waved me over. I smiled and made my way to the table and sat down.

"Hey, you're early," I told him.

"So are you," he retorted making me smile.

"Yeah, as Kurt said, better five minutes early than five minutes late," I giggled, making him chuckle.

"Do I give Kurt credit for how amazing you look tonight as well?" he asked making me blush.

"Yeah, he insisted on giving me a slight make-over," I told him.

"Well, you look really good," he said blushing a little as well.

"Thank you, you don't look too bad yourself," I smiled at him, receiving a bright smile in return.

"Hello, my name is Stacey and I will be your waitress tonight. Are you ready to place your orders?" a blonde woman asked, her voice heavily laced with disinterest.

"Sure, I'll have the Spaghetti Bolognese and a coke, please," Artie said after quickly scanning the menu.

"Same for me please," I said. Artie shot me a look as Stacey took our orders and left.

"What?" I chuckled.

"Of all the delicious stuff on the menu you decided to go for Spaghetti Bolognese?" he asked.

"Well, you chose to order it, so I decided it would be a safe bet," I chuckled, "Besides, nothing beats a plate of old-fashioned spaghetti."

"Touché," he laughed as Stacey returned with our drinks.

* * *

"So, I believe there was something you wanted to tell me?" Artie said after once we had finished eating. I nodded.

"Artie, first I want to apologize for going around this like I did. I really wanted to tell you but I just wasn't ready," I told him.

"Don't worry, that's all water under the bridge, as they say," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

I took a deep breath and told him everything. I told him how I got diagnosed, how I wouldn't leave my bed for days except to eat and shower when I remembered to do both, how I would go for days without any contact to the outside world, how just picking up the phone when someone called seemed like an unbearable task, how I had sunk into a deep black hole before my mum had pulled me out of bed to the doctor's. The entire time he just listened to what I had to tell him and didn't interrupt.

Once I was done, he reached across the table to take my hand.

"Why didn't you just tell me this?" he asked.

"Because I wasn't ready for everyone to know, I was just beginning to settle in here. And because I don't want you to pity me. Like I said, Artie, I have baggage. You deserve someone who can get it together to actually get out of bed to see you," I said, trying to ignore the tear that made its way down my cheek.

"Being sick is not baggage. Addiction to drugs, that's baggage. Yes, you're sick, but that's part of who you are, and if I may be so frank, I don't care," he said, making me look at him in confusion.

"I don't care that you're sick, or that you might find it hard to do normal, everyday stuff when you're having a bad episode. I really like you, Ella. Sickness or not," he stated while gripping my hand tighter.

"I really like you too, Artie," I whispered, unable to hide the smile that spread across my face.

He smiled warmly at me before looking at his watch.

"Um, my dad will be here in ten minutes. Should we pay and wait outside?" he asked.

I nodded yes, and we paid for our dinner. Artie insisted on paying for everything, but I wouldn't hear of it.

* * *

Once we got outside, Artie grabbed my hand and gently tugged on it, making me sit on his lap before putting his arms around my waist.

"I had a really great time tonight, Artie, and I'm really glad I got to tell you everything without having you running off screaming," I mumbled, leaning my head on his shoulder.

"I'm glad you were honest with me," was his simple reply before he kissed the top of my head, making the heat rise slightly in my cheeks.

"I wouldn't want to be anything but honest," I told him. "These last weeks with you not talking to me have been horrible."

I felt him nod in response.

"I was hurt and confused. I don't want to talk about that, though, since it's all in the past now," he said.

I raised my head to look at him.

"I agree. Let's not talk about that," I smiled, receiving a smile in return.

Silence fell as we waited, and about 5 minutes later Blaine pulled up at the restaurant parking lot.

"Well, that's my ride," I sighed still with a smile on my face.

"Would it be too daring to ask for a kiss goodnight?" Artie asked in a mumble while blushing furiously.

I simply smiled at him before cupping his cheek and giving him a soft kiss. He immediately returned the kiss, though it was quickly cut short by Blaine honking his horn, making us break apart.

"I guess I have to go," I whispered. He nodded before giving me a quick last kiss.

"I'll see you tomorrow Ells," he smiled. I nodded.

"See you tomorrow, handsome," I winked at him before getting up off his lap and making my way to Blaine's car, leaving a smiling Artie behind.

* * *

**Y'all know the drill by now :) Reviewers get cookies!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Gosh I hate writer's blocks! It's been a while, and I'm really sorry, but I ended up rethinking the ending of chapter 10, and I couldn't quite decide whether to change it or not... But being the lazy person I am, I ended up keeping it and decided to just take it from there.  
I'm also really considering letting Kurt transfer back to McKinley at some point, maybe letting Blaine transfer with him. Damn you Ryan Murphy for screwing up my plot by letting Kurt transfer back. Plot bunnies, attack!**

**Cookies to Average Everyday Sane Psycho for reviewing, and double-cookies to Abberz the Awesome for reviewing and making the ideas spawn in my head like nobody's business!**

**This chapter will be connected to the one coming after, since an idea came to me after hearing the songs featured in the next chapter. That's pretty much how my brain works by the way. My iPod is full of snippets of future chapters, all of which have come from listening to music. It helps beat the writer's block as well ;)**

**Alright, enough ranting. Do forgive me, it's almost 6am here in Denmark, the sun has long risen and I haven't slept, partly due to writing, partly due to my meds. Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything that has to do with Glee. I only own the plot and of course my OC Ella :)**

* * *

The next couple of weeks passed in a blur. Artie and I were slowly getting closer, but we hadn't felt the need to put a label on us yet. I knew he felt the same way as I did about him, but I also felt he was keeping something from me. I didn't pressure the issue though, as I myself knew how you need to do things in your own time.

It was Monday afternoon as the New Directions assembled in the choir room for glee club. Mr. Schu was already in the room and waited patiently for everyone to find a seat.

As everyone had settled down, he gestured towards the board with one hand.

"Secrets," he read aloud.

"We all have them in some form. Big secrets, little secrets, secret thoughts. Secrets we only tell a few select people. Secrets we take to our grave. This week I want you to sing a song that describes a secret of yours," he continued.

"Sure, Mr. Schu, let me whip out my diary and get back to you on that one," was Santana's sarcastic reply.

"Santana keeps a diary?" asked Finn with a sincerely confused look on his face.

"I'm pretty sure my cat keeps reading mine," Brittany mumbled.

"Guys, I'm not forcing you to spill your deepest, darkest secrets here. If you don't want to perform this task, it's completely okay. I just thought it would be a great thing to bond over," Mr. Schu explained.

"Oh, sure, let's all sit in a circle and cry over our miserable teenage lives," Santana sneered.

"Mr. Schu, for once I agree with Santana. How could this possibly help us improve as performers?" Rachel babbled.

"I like the assignment," Puck mumbled, earning himself a few weird glances from those around him.

"Listen guys, it's completely optional. To answer Rachel's question, I know you guys already know each other quite well by now, but sharing something can tie you even closer together and help you be even more comfortable around each other," Mr. Schu said.

The room fell silent as we all took in what he said.

Mr. Schu took this as his cue to continue.

"Alright guys, you're dismissed to find a song."

* * *

"Hey Ella, wait up," I heard a voice behind me as I made my way towards the parking lot after school.

I turned around to see Finn jogging towards me.

"Hey Finn, what's up?" I asked.

"Kurt told me to tell you that I'll be driving you home today. He and Blaine got out of school by lunch so they're at our house. He also said to tell you, and I quote, that if you hold your life dear, you were to come along," he rambled.

"Do you live with Kurt?" I asked, slightly confused, partly by the information and partly because I had never imagined Kurt and Finn to be close friends.

"Yeah, we're brothers. Well, step-brothers really. His dad and my mom are married," the gentle giant explained.

"Oh! How come I've never seen you around the house then?" I asked.

"I've been busy with football practise and Quinn," he mumbled. I nodded in response.

"Alright well, let's get going then," I said before we made our way to his truck.

* * *

"So this week's assignment is about secrets, and I have the perfect song," I smiled at the two teenage boys sitting across me wearing identical uniforms.

"That's great!" Blaine exclaimed.

Kurt, however, looked lost in thoughts.

"You okay there Kurt?" I asked him softly.

I watched him exchange a glance with Blaine, who nodded in response to whatever Kurt wordlessly asked him.

"Ella, do you know why I transferred?" he asked wearily.

I nodded. "Because you were bullied, right?" I asked.

He sighed and I caught Blaine squeezing his hand for comfort.

"Yes... and then again, no. See, the bullying I could handle, I kind of just shrug it off eventually," he told me, hurt visible in his eyes.

"What happened, Kurt?" I asked, slightly scared of what I was about to hear. Judging from the grave looks on both of the boys' faces, it wasn't good.

"This kid, Karofsky, he... He usually stuck to the slushie facials and shoving me into the lockers, but gradually it become worse and worse. Luckily that was right about when I met Blaine, who would send me a daily text with the word courage to keep my spirits up," Kurt explained, smiling softly at his boyfriend as the last part, receiving a kiss at the back of his hand in return.

"One day, I went after Karofsky after he pushed me up against my locker. I was hell-bent on confronting him and literally demanded to know what his problem was. I ended up giving him quite an earful before... Before he kissed me," he explained, his voice trailing off into a whisper and tears appearing in his eyes.

"He even had the nerve to try and go for a second kiss, but I backed away. He ran away after that, left me standing in the locker room I had chased him into, feeling like I was going to throw up. He stole my first kiss that really mattered, my first kiss from a boy." He continued, his voice growing stronger again, the hurt in his eyes slowly giving way to another emotion I couldn't quite place.

Hearing that last part, my heart broke for Kurt. He was one of the sweetest guys I knew, and hearing him tell this story made me want to hold him and never let go. I could sense he wasn't done, though, so I remained seated and listened.

"Later, he... he threatened to kill me if I ever told anyone about the kiss. I told Blaine of course, since he had become kind of like my mentor as well as a friend, and we confronted Karofsky in a calm matter. Do keep in mind though, he's a football player and has a reputation to uphold. He ended up pushing Blaine up against a fence before storming off," Kurt continued.

"My dad of course sensed something was up with me, and we went to the principal with the issue. I didn't tell them about the kiss or the death threat though, since Karofsky and his dad were both there. Still, he got suspended while the school board handled the case. They later decided to revoke the suspension though, and that was just the famous last straw to the camel's back. I couldn't stand going to school every day fearing for my life, so I transferred to Dalton, where Blaine had told me they have a zero-tolerance policy, and that brings us pretty much up to date, give or take a few months," Kurt finished.

By now, my vision was blurred by tears and my heart was shattered. I stood up and pulled Kurt into a hug; a gesture he gladly returned.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through this," I mumbled, trying to blink away the tears.

"Luckily it's all water under the bridge now. Besides, if I hadn't transferred, Blaine might have never realised his feelings for me," he giggled, making both Blaine and I chuckle as well.

Just then Finn walked down the stairs to Kurt's room.

"Hey guys, dinner's rea- oh sorry, am I interrupting?" he asked looking slightly sheepish.

"Not at all," I smiled at him.

"Well, mom sort of expected for you guys to stay for dinner, so she's made a huge batch of food," he said.

As on cue, both Blaine and my stomachs growled.

"We'd better not disappoint her then," he chuckled before we all made our way upstairs.

On the way up the stairs, I felt a hand grip mine. I looked to my left and saw a smiling Kurt.

"I never got to thank you for standing up to Azimio earlier this year. I guess it won't surprise you how much I appreciate it after what you just heard," he said, looking touched.

I squeezed his hand softly and smiled as to tell him it was no problem before dragging him upstairs where Finn was urging for us to hurry up.

* * *

**Don't forget to review, it makes my day to check back and see the feedback :) **

**... No really, I brag about you guys on Twitter all the time after posting a new chapter ;)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Let me be the first to admit that the last chapter definitely wasn't some of my best writing. If it had been a stand-alone chapter I would have punched myself for posting something that crappy. I totally agree with Abberz the Awesome; it was vague and well, just not that great. People just skipping quickly over stuff is definitely a pet peeve of mine as well! Let that be a lesson to everyone including myself - never write when sleep-deprived and with a writer's block.  
I originally meant for chapter 11 and 12 to be one long chapter, but then I decided to throw in the Kurt/Karofsky drama, and my sleep deprivation got the better of me. Me, who swore never to post a filler chapter for the intention of getting something out... I hope this makes up for the suckiness ;)**

**Well, this chapter is pretty much a continuation of the last chapter. I really hope you like the Ella/Puck friendship and new side of Puck I threw in, it just came to me while re-reading the lyrics to Ella's song; plus, I think that deep down under the mohawk is a sweet guy with emotions like everyone else. I hope he's not too OOC, I did try to keep it Puck-ish when he talks.**

**I also apologize for the severe lack of Artie lately. I love me some Artie and Kevin McHale, and there will be more of him later on, obviously. This is not an Artie-centric fic, though, but OC-centric :)**

**As usual, cookies to Average Everday Sane Psycho and Abberz the Awesome for reviewing! I love me some constructive criticism, it's to a writer what veggies are to kids. You might not always like it, but you know it's good for you ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't anything related to Glee or the songs featured, only my OC Ella :) **

* * *

By Wednesday I was ready to perform my song in glee club. I had rehearsed so much that Blaine subconsciously started humming the melody of the chorus on our way to school.

I giggled.

"What?" he asked.

"You were humming the song I'm performing," I replied.

"Well, it's not my fault that a, it's catchy, and b, someone has been singing it non-stop for the last two days," he laughed.

"Don't worry, you'll never have to hear it again after today," I laughed with him.

"On a serious note, though, are you sure you want them all to know?" he asked.

I nodded.

"I do. They need to know that part about me in order to actually know me," I replied.

Blaine just nodded as he pulled into the school parking lot.

"Alright, as long as you're sure. Be good, I'll see you after school," he said as I got out of the car.

"I will, dad," I chuckled, stressing the last word, making him laugh as he drove off.

* * *

At lunch I was sitting with the usual crowd consisting of Mercedes, Artie, Tina, Mike and Rachel. Finn had abandoned us to sit with Quinn since getting back together with her. This obviously displeased Rachel, who had been glaring daggers at Quinn for weeks.

"Hey Rach, maybe you should let up on the killer eyes," Artie said.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said sternly but still not talking her eyes off Quinn and Finn.

"White girl, you know I love you and all, even though you can be worse than Sylvester's megaphone sometimes, but you need to let that guy go," Mercedes said, placing a hand on top of Rachel's.

Rachel finally turned her attention towards the rest of us.

"I appreciate your concern guys, but this is between me and Finn. Well, and Quinn. He is obviously confused. Maybe he's just threatened by my talent and lets our potential relationship suffer from it, but he's just acting like any immature teenage boy would," she mused.

Mercedes gave Tina a knowing look. Apparently Finn had gone back and forth between Rachel and Quinn for years now.

"Just don't get hurt," Tina said.

Rachel shot her a look before getting up, grabbing her bags and storming off.

"Girl doesn't know when to let go," Mercedes sighed with a hint of sadness for her friend.

Everyone nodded as an idea struck me.

"I'll talk to Finn," I declared.

"No offense to your brilliant mind, but why?" asked Artie from next to me.

"I know he's not the brightest crayon in the box, but he just can't be so daft that he doesn't know Rachel is still in love with him. If he at least told her he doesn't feel the same way anymore, she might be able to let him go," I explained.

The table was quiet for a while as everyone thought about it.

"If you think it's worth a shot, by all means give it a go," Mike said.

* * *

"Alright guys, do any of you have something ready for the assignment?" Mr. Schu asked as glee club had begun.

I was just about to raise my hand when I heard a voice a few seats down.

"I've got something, Mr. Schu," Puck said.

"Alright, go ahead," Mr. Schu said, taking Puck's seat as he got up.

Puck cleared his throat.

"Alright, so um... Most of you know that I was raised only by my mom and that my dad ran off when I was younger. Well, I guess what you don't know is how much it actually beats me that he left. When I was younger I would blame myself, until I was old enough to realise that he was just a douche and it had nothing to do with me," he explained while picking up a guitar.

"The song is called Father of Mine," he said before he started playing.

"_Father of mine  
Tell me where have you been?  
You know I just closed by eyes  
My whole world disappeared  
Father of mine  
Take me back to the day  
Yeah, when I was still your golden boy  
Back before you went away_

_I remember blue skies walking the block_  
_I loved it when you held me high_  
_I loved to hear you talk_  
_You would take me to the movie_  
_You would take me to the beach_  
_You would take me to a place inside_  
_That's so hard to reach_

_Oh!_  
_Father of mine_  
_Tell me where did you go?_  
_Yeah, you had the world inside your hand_  
_But you did not seem to know_  
_Father of mine_  
_Tell me what do you see?_  
_When you look back at your wasted life_  
_And you don't see me_

_I was ten years old_  
_Doin' all that I could_  
_It wasn't easy for me to be a scared white boy_  
_In a black neighborhood_  
_Sometimes you would send me a birthday card_  
_With a five dollar bill_  
_I never understood you then_  
_And I guess I never will_

_(Then he walked away)_  
_Daddy gave me a name_  
_My daddy gave me a name_  
_(Then he walked away)_  
_Daddy gave me a name_  
_(Then he walked away)_  
_My daddy gave me a name_  
_Oh yeah_

_Yeah_  
_Daddy gave me a name_  
_Daddy gave me a name_  
_(Then he walked away)_  
_Daddy gave me a name_  
_(Then he walked away)_  
_My daddy gave me a name_  
_Yeah_  
_Yeah_  
_Oh yeah_

_Father of mine_  
_Tell me where have you been?_  
_Yeah, I just closed by eyes_  
_And the world disappeared_  
_Father of mine_  
_Tell me how do you sleep?_  
_With the children you abandoned_  
_And the wife I saw you beat_

_I will never be safe_  
_I will never be sane_  
_I will always be weird inside_  
_I will always be lame_  
_Now I'm a grown man_  
_With a child of my own_  
_And I swear, I'll never let her know_  
_All the pain I have known_

_(Then he walked away)_  
_Daddy gave me a name_  
_(Then he walked away)_  
_My daddy gave me a name_  
_(Then he walked away)_  
_My daddy gave me a name_  
_(Then he walked away)_  
_My daddy gave me a name_

_(Then he walked away)_  
_Yeah_  
_(Then he walked away)_  
_Yeah_  
_(Then he walked away)_  
_Oh yeah_"

As the last note rang out everyone had tears in their eyes. Puck himself had gotten teary eyed at the part about having a child of his own, and I felt like there was something I didn't know.

The room was silent as Puck returned to his seat and Mr. Schu took the floor again after quickly wiping a tear away.

"Thank you so much for sharing that, Puck. See guys, that's exactly what I mean!" he said.

"Alright, does anyone else want a go?" he then asked.

I took this as my cue and raised my hand.

"Yes, Ella, the floor is yours," Mr. Schu said before sitting down.

As I stood facing the rest of the New Directions, I started getting nervous. I quickly glanced to Mercedes, who I had let in on the plan. She smiled encouragingly at me.

"Only a few know this about me, and I'm not telling you in the hope of getting sympathy, but because it's a big part of who I am. I suffer from a clinical depression that I'm being treated for. It can be hard for people to understand what it's like when they haven't been sick themselves, so I found a song that describes quite well what a bad day can feel like for someone who's going through a depression... Or at least, what it feels like for me. I know people usually associate the lyrics with having a broken home, but mostly it fits my bad days. Apparently Everclear is a popular band for this assignment," I finished off with a nervous giggle before the band set in.

"_I close my eyes when I get too sad  
I think thoughts that I know are bad  
Close my eyes and I count to ten  
Hope it's over when I open them_

_I want the things that I had before_  
_Like a Star Wars poster on my bedroom door_  
_I wish I could count to ten_  
_Make everything be wonderful again_

_Hope my mom and I hope my dad_  
_Will figure out why they get so mad_  
_Hear them scream, I hear them fight_  
_They say bad words that make me wanna cry_

_Close my eyes when I go to bed_  
_And I dream of angels who make me smile_  
_I feel better when I hear them say_  
_Everything will be wonderful someday_

_Promises mean everything when you're little_  
_And the world's so big_  
_I just don't understand how_  
_You can smile with all those tears in your eyes_  
_Tell me everything is wonderful now_

_Please don't tell me everything is wonderful now_

_I go to school and I run and play_  
_I tell the kids that it's all okay_  
_I laugh aloud so my friends won't know_  
_When the bell rings I just don't wanna go home_

_Go to my room and I close my eyes_  
_I make believe that I have a new life_  
_I don't believe you when you say_  
_Everything will be wonderful someday_

_Promises mean everything when you're little_  
_And the world is so big_  
_I just don't understand how_  
_You can smile with all those tears in your eyes_  
_When you tell me everything is wonderful now_

_No_  
_No, I don't wanna hear you tell me everything is wonderful now_  
_No_  
_No, I don't wanna hear you tell me everything is wonderful now_

_I don't wanna hear you say_  
_That I will understand someday_  
_No, no, no, no_  
_I don't wanna hear you say_  
_You both have grown in a different way_  
_No, no, no, no_  
_I don't wanna meet your friends_  
_And I don't wanna start over again_  
_I just want my life to be the same_  
_Just like it used to be_  
_Some days I hate everything_  
_I hate everything_  
_Everyone and everything_  
_Please don't tell me everything is wonderful now..._

_I don't wanna hear you tell me everything is wonderful now"_

To everyone's surprise, including my own, Puck got up by the end of the song and walked towards me. For a moment he just looked at me, his eyes brimming with new tears. Then he threw his arms around me and hugged me, causing soft gasps to sound from some of the others.

"Do you know that you just described my childhood with that song?" he asked in a whisper so the rest couldn't hear.

I shook my head no in return, slightly overwhelmed by this side of Puck.

We broke the hug and turned to face the rest of New Directions, who looked positively baffled by Puck's emotional outburst.

"What?" Puck sneered at them, making everyone look away.

Mr. Schu cleared his throat.

"Alright, thank you Ella," he said before launching into a speech about Invitationals.

* * *

After school, I found Puck outside in the parking lot.

"Hey," I said softly as I approached him.

"Hey," he said as he looked up at me.

"Listen, I'm really sorry if my song struck something in you," I told him.

"Hey, no problem English. I was already stirred up by my own song. I might have to go beat up some kid though. If people hear that I cried, they'll think the Puckasaurus has gone soft," he mumbled.

I couldn't hold back laugh.

"The Puckasaurus?" I asked laughing.

"Hey, a couple of years ago before I joined glee club, I was the definition of badass," he told me, laughing a little as well.

"Oh really? You mean the typical school bully?" I asked, still with a smile on my face.

I watched as his smile fell a little.

"Yeah, I did some things I'm not particularly proud of. I'll spare you the details though, I don't want an earful like the one you gave Azimio," he chuckled.

Just then Blaine pulled up, honking his horn once when he saw me waiting.

I waved to let him know I had seen him and then turned back to Puck.

"Listen, if you ever need to talk, get my number from Artie and I'll take you out for a cup of coffee. Deal?" I offered.

He nodded.

"Sure thing, English. I'll give you a call," he said, a real smile spreading on his face.

"See you tomorrow Puck," I said smiling back before I turned around and walked towards the waiting Blaine.

"So, how was your day?" he asked as I got into the passenger seat.

I smiled to myself before replying.

"Eventful."

* * *

**Ta-daa! Reviewers get cookies!**

**Oh, and please let me know what you think... Should Kurt and/or Klaine come to McKinley to make this fic more canon? (I still haven't forgiven R. Murphy for screwing up my plot. I'm so suing.)**

**Songs featured in this chapter: "Father of Mine" and "Wonderful", both by Everclear.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Alright, chapter 13! I apologize in advance if this seems like a filler chapter. On one hand I wanted to add more action to this, but then again it felt kind of natural to just leave it where I did. Doesn't mean I haven't got anything planned because trust me, I do. Like I said, just take a look at my iPod.**

**I know the lyrics are only part of the original song, and I changed the ending of it as well to make it more right with the plot. I was hell-bent on using this song for the scene, so when I re-listened to it and got second thoughts about it, it really put me off. But hey, let's call it artistic liberty, yeah? When I first heard the song I interpreteted in a way that fit the plot, and then when I heard it again while writing, I got something completely different out of it... But like I said, I cut it and edited it to fit better. I hope you like it :)**

**A whole batch of cookies for Average Everyday Sane Psycho, since she (I assume you're a girl; if not, my bad ;D) was the only one to review on the last chapter.**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing related to Glee or the songs used in the chapters. Only my OC Ella is mine :)**

* * *

On our way home, I remembered the conversation I had had with the rest during lunch.

"Hey Blaine, do you mind stopping by Kurt's house?" I asked.

"Sure, why?" he replied.

"I need to talk to Finn," I told him before letting him in on the situation.

"Alright, let's go then," he said, driving past the turn to the Anderson house.

* * *

"Yes?" was Burt Hummel's response as he opened the door.

"Mr. Hummel, is Finn home?" I asked.

"Sure, come on in, I'll get him," he replied before letting us in.

"Oh, and Blaine?" he added.

"Yes sir?" Blaine responded.

"Kurt is downstairs in his room," Burt told the young man with a hint of a smile on his face.

Blaine thanked him and went in the direction of his boyfriend's room as Finn came walking down the stairs.

"Hey Ella, are you here to see Kurt?" he asked.

"Not exactly, Finn. Is there somewhere we can talk?" I asked.

He nodded and motioned for me to come with him upstairs.

After closing the door to his room, he awkwardly asked me to sit down.

"So, what was it you wanted to talk about?" he asked, awkwardly fidgeting with his hands in his lap.

"Finn, it might not be any of my business, but both you and Rachel are my friends," I started off.

"Something's not right here, though," I continued, watching as his brows scrunched together in confusion.

"Finn, you love Quinn, right?" I asked him.

He nodded, still looking slightly confused.

"Then you have to tell Rachel that it's okay to move on," I told him.

He looked at me, looking even more confused now.

"What does Rachel have to do with anything?" he asked.

"Finn, it's so obvious she still loves you! Don't tell me you can't see it, because I know you're smarter than that," I said, watching as he rested his elbows on his knees and covered his face with his hands.

"Finn?" I asked, my voice now softer, as I sat down on the bed next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I know she's still in love with me," he mumbled.

"Then why haven't you told her to move on?" I asked gently.

He mumbled an inaudible reply.

"I'm sorry Finn, I didn't catch that," I said.

"Because I'm still in love with her as well," he said, this time a little louder.

Not knowing how to reply to that, I squeezed his shoulder gently.

"It really sucks, because I love Quinn too, it's just... I always thought it would be me and Quinn forever, but I can't forget Rachel," he continued.

"Yeah, I understand your dilemma," I mumbled.

"Every time I kiss Quinn, I keep seeing Rachel's face," he mumbled, finally looking up at me.

"It sounds like your heart has made up your decision then," I said, trying to be just a little constructive.

"I know, but after everything me and Quinn have been through, she deserves more than me dumping her for someone else," he said, clearly frustrated.

"Listen, Finn," I said, making him look me in the eyes.

"I don't know what you and Quinn have been through, or you and Rachel for that matter. But do you really want to be in a relationship that doesn't really make you happy?" I asked quietly.

Silence fell for a moment as he thought.

"No," was his simple reply.

"Besides, I guess it's not fair on Quinn either, right?" he asked.

I shook my head no.

Another silence fell for a few minutes before Finn broke it.

"Thank you," he whispered.

I gave his shoulder another soft squeeze.

"No problem,"

* * *

The next day I watched Rachel storm down the hall during lunch with a determined look on her face.

"Hey Rachel, where's the fire?" I asked her as she stormed by me.

"I need to go rehearse in the auditorium, I need to make you understand," was all she said as she whipped past.

I stopped in the middle of the hall. Make us understand what?

I spun around and followed her into the auditorium, where the sound of the piano flowed out through the door. Damn, she was fast.

I walked in to see her by the piano just as she began to sing.

"_I'm just a holy fool, oh baby, he's so cruel but I'm still in love with Judas, baby_," she sang.

I walked up and sat next to her on the piano bench.

"I didn't know you were into Gaga," I said.

"However flamboyant and theatrical her lyrics might be, I think this one fits my situation perfectly," she icily replied as she kept playing.

I put my hand on top of hers to stop her.

"Rachel, it's only me here. You don't need the big words. What's up?" I asked softly.

She let out a sigh.

"Is it wrong of me to keep hoping he'll come back to me?" she whispered.

I remained silent, not knowing how to reply to that.

"I've never felt this way about anyone, Ella. He's the only guy who ever made me feel like this," she said, turning to look at me.

"I have to admit Rach, I don't know how to respond to that. All I know is, you don't have to sing that song to make anyone understand anything," I told her.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"All I'm saying is that you'll find out soon enough," I replied with a small smile.

"Now, let's go get some lunch while we still can, yeah?" I suggested.

She smiled back and nodded.

* * *

I sat in the choir room chatting with Artie as we waited for people to show up.

"Where were you and Rachel at lunch?" he asked.

"We just had a girl talk," I said, winking at him which made him chuckle.

"About boys?" he said, making his voice high-pitched and girly-sounding.

I laughed.

"Do we ever talk about anything else?" I joked, still laughing, making him laugh as well.

Then his face went back to being serious.

"Listen, Ella," he started off.

I tilted my head, letting him know I was listening. He took my hand and held it with both of his.

"I've been thinking a lot lately... about us. I know this isn't the right place to talk about this, but maybe I could take you to Breadstix during the week and we can talk there?" he asked.

I nodded my head yes, receiving one of those smiles in return that I had come to love. I smiled back, my smile growing wider when he kissed the back of my hand.

"Aww, young love," said Mercedes behind us, making all three of us laugh.

Just then Finn walked through the door along with Quinn. He looked really nervous. I caught his gaze as he walked to his seat and gave him an encouraging smile.

Artie noticed this and nudged me.

"Yo, what's up with Finn?" he asked.

"You'll see," I replied as Mr. Schu walked in.

"Alright guys, Invitationals are right around the corner!" he began, before Finn raised his hand.

"Yes Finn?" he addressed the tall boy.

"I've got a song for the assignment," Finn replied.

"Alright, the floor is yours then," Mr. Schu said, moving to take a seat among his students.

"Yeah, umm, so I had a good talk yesterday with someone who made me realise something. I, uh, I don't have, like, a speech prepared so I'm just going to sing. Ella?" he turned to me, as I had agreed to help him with his song.

I gave Artie's hand a squeeze before getting up to join Finn, grabbing a guitar before joining him in the middle of the room.

"_I was made to believe I'd never love somebody else_  
_I made a plan, stay the man who can only love himself_  
_Lonely was the song I sang, 'til the day you came_  
_Showing me another way and all that my love can bring_

_Oh, half of my heart's got a grip on the situation_  
_Half of my heart takes time_  
_Half of my heart's got a right mind to tell you_  
_That I can't keep loving you (can't keep loving you)_  
_Oh, with half of my heart_  
_With half of my heart_

_Your faith is strong_  
_But I can only fall short for so long_  
_Down the road, later on_  
_You will hate that I never gave more to you than half of my heart_  
_but I can't stop loving you (I can't stop loving you)_  
_I can't stop loving you (I can't stop loving you)_  
_But I can't stop loving you with half of my..._

_Half of my heart_  
_Oh, half of my heart_

_Half of my heart's got a real good imagination_  
_Half of my heart's got you_  
_Half of my heart's got a right mind to tell you_  
_That half of my heart won't do_

_Oh, half of my heart_  
_I can't keep loving you_  
_Oh, with half of my heart_"

Once the song had finished, Quinn was staring at Finn with a mixture of anger and disbelief in her eyes. Rachel on the other hand seemed to having perked up in her seat during the song. As the vast applause died down and Finn and I returned to our seats, Mr. Schu took the floor once again.

"Alright, thanks Finn and Ella. Now for some more serious matter, guys – our Invitationals set list! I'll write up some songs on the board, give you until Friday to think about it and then we'll put it to a vote!" he said before turning to write on the board.

I snuck a glance at Finn, who had returned to his seat beside a livid-looking Quinn. Poor guy was going to get it once the bell rang. Then Artie nudged me, claiming my attention and smiled before taking my hand.

* * *

**There you go! I'd really appreciate it if you would take the time to review, otherwise it's hard to know if anyone actually reads this ;)**

**Song (partly) featured in this chapter: John Mayer feat. Taylor Swift - "Half of My Heart"**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys! I am so sorry for the long wait! My depression has gone crazy due to the stress of working two jobs, so I've had no energy to write at all, let alone do anything but work and sleep. My inspiration had gone right out the window as well. I know I said I have loads of ideas, and I do, but they're all for later chapters. I'm slowly getting back on a roll, though, so hopefully I won't take this long at updating next time!**

**Cookies to Average Everyday Sane Psycho, Coffeebeansandcocacola (Loved the couple-name ideas! How about Artella? I think that's a catchy one!) and VenusDelorrain for reviewing. You guys are awesome!**

**Alright, without further ado, enjoy! If you squint, you can spot a hint of my new favourite couple ;)**

* * *

The next morning I was rummaging about in my locker when a hand slammed loudly onto the one next to mine. I looked over to see a seething Quinn glaring at me.

"Good morning to you too, Quinn," I said, my voice heavy with sarcasm.

"Cut the crap, Michaels. You made Finn dump me," she stated icily.

"First, I didn't make him do anything. We had a long talk, like friends do, and I gave him some advice, that's all. Secondly, apparently it was only a matter of time before he got the balls to stand up to you," I said, closing my locker and staring her straight in the eyes.

"Stand up to me?" she questioned.

"All I did was made him stop and think about what he wanted," I said as I started to walk down the hall.

"Think? Oh please, we all know Finn sometimes forgets how to even use his brain," she scoffed, following me.

"That's because you didn't let him think for himself, Quinn! You had him so whipped; it was like seeing a puppy trailing after you wondering what you wanted him to do next for your affection! Well guess what, the least to expect in a relationship is to feel appreciated, and I honestly find it hard to believe that Finn would ever feel that while being with you," I told her as I stopped and turned to look at her.

"Finn loves me," she simply stated.

"Maybe, but do you love him? Or is it just part of your plan to be the McKinley power-couple?" I asked her.

"Of course I love him! Why do you think I'm upset?" she asked me, glaring daggers at me.

"Honestly? I think you're upset because you lost the key to becoming more powerful. You're head cheerleader. Finn's the quarterback. It's not hard to put two and two together, Quinn," I said.

She didn't reply. Instead, she looked straight ahead. I gently put my hand on her shoulder.

"The things I've heard about you all pretty much sum up to you being a cold-hearted bitch. I don't know what made you become like that, but I know that deep down, you're not a bad person, Quinn. You've just made some bad decisions in your life, but you have to not let it get to you so much," I quietly said, squeezing her shoulder gently.

"What do you know about my past? What have the others told you?" she whispered with tears in her eyes as I let go of her shoulder.

"They haven't told me anything," I assured her.

She nodded, just as the bell rang. She cast one last look at me before turning around and heading to class, leaving me to my thoughts. What was it she kept so secret?

* * *

At lunch Finn was back at our table sitting next to a beaming Rachel. Mercedes and I looked questioningly at each other before sitting down.

"So, rumour has it Quinn went after you this morning," Tina said.

Everyone turned to look at me, as I nodded.

"We had a good chat," I just said.

"What did she want?" Finn asked wearily.

"Basically she was trying to blame me for your breakup," I said matter-of-factly.

"Oh no she didn't," Mercedes gasped.

Again I just nodded.

"We had a good talk, I kind of ended up giving her a piece of my mind," I said.

"It's funny though, when I told her what I had gathered from what people said about her, she became kind of jumpy, wanting to know what you guys had told me about her past," I continued.

The table immediately fell silent. Everyone quickly looked to Finn, whose jaw was clenched shut while Rachel fidgeted beside him. I gasped.

"You didn't cheat on her, did you?" I asked.

Apparently my question had struck a chord with Finn, who got up without a word and stormed out of the cafeteria with Rachel quickly running after him.

"Did I say something wrong?" I asked.

Mercedes, Artie, Tina and Mike quietly exchanged glances.

"We might as well tell her," Mercedes said quietly.

The others nodded.

"Tell me what?" I asked.

"Two years ago, Quinn and Finn were the power-couple of the school. They were the head cheerleader and quarterback just like now, but Quinn was also president of the celibacy club. One day though, Finn found her crying in the hall. She was pregnant. Finn was confused, since they had never actually had sex, but Quinn convinced him that a hot tub has the perfect temperature for sperm to survive or something like that. Finn had a problem with, uh, arriving early," Mercedes quickly explained seeing my confused look.

"It turned out though that the baby wasn't Finn's. It was Puck's. Finn found out a couple of weeks before Sectionals, and I don't know what hurt him more; that 'his' baby wasn't his, or that his girlfriend had cheated on him with his best friend. He quit glee club because he couldn't look at either Quinn or Puck. He came back just in time for the performance though, and practically saved our butts since Sue Sylvester had leaked our set list to the other teams," she said before being cut off by Artie.

"The Jane Adams girls doing 'Proud Mary' in wheelchairs wasn't just horrible, it was plain wrong," he grumbled.

"Anyway, he and Rachel got together for some time after that before they split up, but that's an entirely different story. He pretty much ignored Puck and Quinn. Then we had to compete at Regionals, which was extra fishy since Rachel had dated the lead of Vocal Adrenaline, who was also coached by a lady who turned out to be her birthmother. After we got off stage, Quinn went into labour and we all went to the hospital except Rachel, who stayed behind to keep us updated on Vocal Adrenaline's performance. Not long after, baby Beth was born. Quinn had said from the start that she didn't want to keep the baby once it was born, despite Finn and later Puck's attempts at trying to convince her otherwise. She gave Beth up for adoption, and Miss Corcoran, Rachel's mom, gave up on coaching show choirs and adopted Beth. Both parts agreed on an open adoption though, and Puck and Quinn still see Beth from time to time, but it's still a touchy subject with Quinn. She lost everything she knew when she got pregnant, and she's been trying to get it all back over the last year," Mercedes finished up.

I was gob-smacked, and a silence fell around the table.

"Gosh. I can see how that made Finn uncomfortable," I muttered.

The others nodded in agreement as the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch.

Seeing as glee club was next, we all got up and headed towards the choir room. I was trailing a bit behind lost in my own thoughts. Artie noticed and slowed down.

"Are you okay?" he asked while gently taking my hand. I nodded.

"Yeah, except I feel kind of lousy for making Finn uncomfortable like that," I mumbled.

He squeezed my hand gently.

"Hey, there was no way you could have known about that," he said reassuringly. I nodded.

"Now, give me one of those beautiful smiles, yeah?" he smiled, making me do the same.

"You feeling better now?" he asked.

"Loads," I smiled, "thank you."

"No problem," he replied.

* * *

"Alright guys, Invitationals are next Friday, so we need to finish our set list! Any ideas?" Mr. Schu asked once everyone had settled down.

Immediately Rachel's hand shot in the air.

"Mr. Schu, if I may?" she asked, not even waiting for a reply before she got up and took the floor.

"Here we go," I hear Mercedes groan behind me.

"While I would be more than happy to provide the set list with one of the numerous ballads of my repertoire, let me be the first to say that I think we should let Ella have one of the solos," Rachel rambled.

"Great idea, Rachel," Mr. Schu said before being cut off.

"I wasn't finished, Mr. Schu. I do believe however that my talent is needed to put the cherry on top, so I suggest a diva-off," she continued, causing gasps to break out.

"Oh no she didn't," Mercedes whispered.

"What's a diva-off?" I asked with my brows furrowed together in confusion.

"A diva-off is where two people sing, mostly the same song, in order for the audience to judge who sings the song best," Mr. Schu butted in.

"You must be barking!" I exclaimed, earning some weird looks from the rest.

"Oh get over it guys!" I said, thinking they would have gotten used to my talking by now.

"Mr. Schu didn't bark?" Finn said looking severely puzzled.

"British slang, don't ask," Artie replied.

"I have a cousin who thinks he's a dog," Brittany mumbled.

"Guys, come on!" I said, standing up and taking a spot on the floor next to Rachel.

"There is no way I'm going to be able to belt out any song as well as you, Rachel. Our styles are so different from each other. I've seen the video of your take on Barbara Streisand's "Don't Rain on My Parade", and I can already say that whatever song you're going to whip out, I won't be able to top that," I ranted.

"Actually Rachel, Ella has a point," Mr. Schu said, "So how about this. Instead of a diva-off, we'll just hold an audition and then decide who sings the ballad and who gets to do the duet."

"But of course Finn and I will do the duet, Mr. Schu, we always do that!" Rachel said.

"Well, maybe it's time to shake things up a little, don't you think?" Mr. Schu replied with a hint of a smile.

"I agree," Sam said, making everyone turn and look at him.

"What? Don't try to tell me that I'm the only one who wouldn't mind getting a share of the spotlight," he said.

"You already did," Santana said icily.

"And it felt amazing!" Sam retorted.

"Enough!" Mr. Schu said loudly while holding up his hands.

"This Wednesday, auditions will be held in the auditorium. Everyone who wishes to audition for a solo is more than welcome to sign up. I'll have the sign-up sheet ready by next period," he said.

Everyone settled back down and Rachel and I both went back to our seats.

"Alright guys, you're dismissed. We'll put the set list together once we know who's going to sing," he then said.

* * *

"Hey Ella, wait up," I heard a voice call behind me after exiting the choir room.

I turned around to see Sam jogging up to me.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked.

"I just wanted to say it was really cool of you to stand up to Rachel back there. No offense, but she would have wiped the floor with you in a diva-off. I'd bet ten bucks she would choose some Barbara Streisand or Celine Dion song," he said.

"Yeah, well, one of the first things I heard about this club was that everyone fits in there. It's a club of diversion. We wouldn't exactly live up to that if the same people get to do the same types of songs over and over. Besides, people would pretty much expect some kind of power ballad from Rachel, then some deeply heartfelt but yet super awkward duet from her and Finn because of all their unresolved issues, before everyone coming on stage to sing some kind of motivational song with Rachel and Finn on lead once again," I rambled.

"I totally agree," he replied, "Which is why I have a proposition for you."

* * *

"He asked you to what?" Mercedes said as I was getting a book from my locker.

"Sam asked me to sing a duet with him at the audition," I repeated.

"And what does Artie have to say about that?" she asked.

I closed my locker and looked at her with a puzzled look on my face.

"What does Artie have to do with this?" I asked.

"Let me fill you in, then. Ever since we started the New Directions, it's pretty much become a tradition that duet partners are also involved romantically," she explained, making me laugh out loud.

"So you think that just because I sing with Sam, I'm going to suddenly fall head over heels in love with him and dump Artie on his arse?" I chuckled.

"Frankly, yes," she said, her face set in the folds of what was known as her diva-face.

"Cedes, allow me to fill you in on something. I really like Artie. A lot. And I can definitely see us going strong. Sam is not my type. Sure, I'll admit he's kind of cute, but he's also super goofy. He reminds me too much of my brother for me to even consider thinking of him in that way," I explained.

"You'd better be telling me the truth here girl, cause if you hurt my boy Artie, I'm going to have to cut you," she said sternly but now with a hint of a smile on her face.

"Mercedes, even if anything like that should ever happen, which I doubt, you will be the first to know, and I will give you full permission to bust my butt about it," I said, linking my arm with hers.

"Good," she replied as we started walking.

"I'll have you know though that you and I are going to talk later, missy," I informed her as we turned a corner.

"Why?" she asked, looking confused.

"Because I have a feeling this is not all about me hurting Artie," I replied with a wink before giving her a little wave and heading off into my class room, still catching the slight blush spreading on my friend's cheeks.

* * *

**Ta-daa! Remember, reviewers get cookies, and if you're extra awesome, I will hurry to get the next chapter written and up!**

**Rainbows and butterfly kisses.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Yes! I'm getting my groove back! I just whipped up not one but two chapters for you guys! I originally meant for it to be one chapter, but then it just felt natural to leave this one like I did. I have to admit, this could pretty easily look like a filler chapter, but it's all for a purpose ;)**

**Cookies to Average Everyday Sane Psycho, Myrle 16 and Coffeebeansandcocacola for reviewing! I think we have an official ship name for Artie and Ella - Artella! I feel so cool right now, haha! Jk.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own Glee. But boy, if I did...**

* * *

That evening Mercedes and I sat in my room at the Anderson house. After our conversation that afternoon I had convinced her to come over later. Kurt had accompanied her in the hope to spend some time with Blaine, and the last we'd seen of them was when they disappeared out of sight as Blaine closed the door to his room.

"Alright girl, what did you want to talk to me about?" Mercedes asked.

We were both sitting on my bed each sipping a cup of tea as the early October rain pounded on the window.

"I wanted to talk to you about Sam," I told her, deciding not to beat around the bush.

I watched as she took a sip from her mug with eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

"What about him?" she asked.

"Well, do you like him? And don't even bother lying, I know you too well by now," I said with a wink.

She chuckled.

"I guess I do," she admitted, making me give out a small squeal of excitement.

"I knew it!" I exclaimed, receiving a laugh in return.

"So, what are you going to do?" I asked curiously.

"Do? I don't plan on doing anything," she sighed sadly.

"But why not? Sam's a great guy! And didn't you go to prom together last year?" I asked.

"Yeah, but it was a group-date with Rachel and a guy called Jesse, it hardly counts," she muttered.

I looked at her for a second before taking both our mugs and setting them on the floor and gripping her hands in mine.

"Cedes, don't you ever stop and wonder, 'what if'? Maybe Sam feels the exact same way about you and is just not brave enough to tell you. I mean, no offense, but you can come across as quite intimidating," I quietly said.

"Sure I think about how nice it would be to have a guy love me, but Ells, girls like me don't catch the eyes of the jocks. I mean, look at me," she sighed.

"Stop right there!" I cut her off with a stern look. "Cedes, look at me! You are a beautiful girl with an impeccable fashion sense, not to mention a voice that even Aretha would kill for! Sure, you're curvy, but you always make sure your clothes compliment your body! You are so beautiful, inside and out, and if Sam doesn't see that, he needs glasses."

She sniffled holding back her tears.

"He did tell me I looked beautiful at prom," she croaked with a smile.

"See? That's the thing I've gathered from Sam, he's an honest guy," I smiled, squeezing my friend's hands.

She chuckled and dried her eyes.

"Now how about this, when we rehearse the duet, I could casually ask him if there's any girls who's caught his eye. You know, test the waters?" I suggested.

She nodded.

"That would be great," she smiled before leaning over and hugging me.

"Thank you," she whispered.

I smiled and hugged her tighter.

"No problem. That's what friends are for, right?"

* * *

"Alright, do you have any ideas for a duet?" I asked Sam as we sat in the choir room the next day.

We had agreed to meet up between classes to find out what to sing at the auditions Wednesday and would probably spend the lunch-break rehearsing.

"Actually, I came across a song yesterday on YouTube that I thought would suit both our voices. It's not originally a duet, but it can be split up, and there are great harmonies in the chorus," he said handing me a piece of paper.

"Besides," he continued, "I did notice you seem to have a soft spot for Taylor Swift."

I nodded as I looked at the paper.

"That I do," I admitted, "but I never pegged you for a country-lover,"

"What can I say," he shrugged, "it's perfect for an acoustic guitar."

"Alright, seems like we have our song," I smiled as I got up and grabbed my bag, "Meet me here next break?"

"Sure, see you then," he smiled before I turned around and made my way to class.

* * *

After the lesson I made my way to the choir room, only to find Artie wheeling towards me in the hall.

"Hey Ells," he greeted me with a smile.

"Hey yourself," I smiled back as I passed him.

"Whoa, where are you off to in such a hurry?" he asked.

I turned to look at him.

"Choir room, I'm supposed to rehearse with Sam for the audition," I replied as he wheeled towards me.

"Why, are you helping him out with his song?" he asked.

"No, we're doing a duet," I replied and was about to turn around and head off when a hand grabbed my wrist.

"So, you're duet partners now?" he asked with a small voice.

I sighed and crouched down in front of him.

"Listen Artie, I know how it usually goes down around here with duet partners, but I can assure you, I don't like Sam at all like that. Like I told Mercedes, he reminds me of my brother. Besides, why would I want Sam when I have a handsome nerd like you?" I told him with a smile, receiving a smile in return.

"Besides, I wouldn't be a very good friend if I went and snatched the guy my friend fancies now, would I?" I chuckled.

Artie gasped.

"No way," he muttered

"Yes way," I gasped, imitating him making him laugh.

"I actually intended to subtly question him about it at rehearsal, but it looks like it'll have to wait until next break," I said standing back up.

"I'm sorry for hogging you then," he chuckled and pulled me onto his lap.

"I think I'll cope," I grinned locking my gaze with his.

"Sam, however, is going to wonder where I am," I said, quickly pecking Artie on the cheek before getting up.

"Alright boo, I'll see you around," he winked before wheeling off, leaving me to hurry to the choir room.

* * *

"There you are!" Sam exclaimed as I rushed through the door.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I ran into Artie, who was concerned about the whole duet thing," I quickly explained as I set down my bag.

"Ah yes, the curse of the duet partners," Sam laughed.

"Well, I managed to assure him nothing was going on," I said.

"Good. No offense Ella, you're all kinds of awesome, but you're not my type," he said with a crooked smile.

I laughed loudly.

"None taken Sammy, you're not my type either. You're a nice guy, but you just remind me too much of my brother," I replied.

"Argh, again with people calling me Sammy. I really tried to toss that name when I got here," he smiled.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad. Besides, it's just too easy with your name," I laughed as the bell rang.

"Well, looks like we'd better beat it. See you at lunch?" he said.

I nodded affirmative with a smile before we both headed off to class.

* * *

By lunch time, we were in the auditorium sitting side by side on the edge of the stage eating our lunches while going over the song.

"So," Sam said with his mouth full of food.

"Sam, chew then speak. Seriously, it's not very charming," I chuckled.

He swallowed his food and laughed.

"So," he said again, "How are we going to split the song?"

I took out a pencil and looked at the lyrics he had printed out for me.

"Hmm... How about like this?" I said, making a few notes here and there.

He looked it over and nodded his agreement.

"I like it. Want to give it a spin?" he said and grabbed his guitar.

* * *

After going over the song we still had ten minutes left before class.

"So, Sam," I started.

He turned towards me to indicate he was listening.

"How's life treating you? Any girls caught your eye?" I asked.

He chuckled and blushed a bit.

"Cutting straight to it, aren't you?" he chuckled.

"Well, I don't like beating around the bush," I smiled.

"Well to be honest, I've been taking some time off when it comes to girls. I pretty much lived in drama town last year, with dating Quinn, then Santana, then my family having to live at a motel. I'm kind of hoping for a quiet senior year... well, at least more quiet than last year," he shrugged.

I nodded.

"There must be someone who appeals to you, though?" I asked.

He smiled to himself.

"I knew it," I giggled, "anyone I know?"

"I think you know her pretty well actually," he smiled, "I'll give you a clue. I went to prom with her last year."

"That means it could be either Rachel or Mercedes," I said, pretending to think hard before cracking up.

I was never that brilliant of an actress.

"What's so funny?" he asked slightly confused.

"Nothing, Sam, don't worry. It's Mercedes, isn't it?" I asked.

He just nodded and smiled softly.

"I don't know if I should go for it, though. I mean, she has so much class. I'm a jock, we're about as classy as a pair of old socks," he mumbled.

"Oh, shush," I told him, "Besides, I have it on good authority that it would be safe to give it a go," I smiled mysteriously.

"Really?" he asked.

"Sam, I had this exact talk with Cedes yesterday. I really think you should go for it. I think you would be good for each other," I said, patting him gently on the back.

He gave me a genuine smile.

"Thanks, I'll figure something out," he said as the bell rang.

* * *

**To be continued ;)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Alright! Second chapter up tonight, just because I'm on a roll here and you guys are awesome ;) As you can probably tell from these chapters, I'm a huge Samcedes shipper, and all we've seen of actual Samcedes was the coffee-shop scene in the "New York, New York" episode. I expect to see lots more in season 3, mr. Murphy!**

**A/N: During the song, the lyrics in bold font is Sam singing and the italics font is Ella. Both bold and italics is obviously them singing together :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing that's in any shape or form related to Glee or the songs featured in the chapters. All I own is Ella, my imagination and some crazy ideas.**

* * *

The next day the first half of the day passed in a daze. Auditions were by lunch, and the nerves were eating me alive. Mercedes had done her best to try and calm my nerves by giving me one pep talk after the other, but it had only made it worse. By the time 4th period ended and I was supposed to meet Sam in the choir room with the others auditioning, I was quite positive I was going to hurl.

Mercedes walked me there, since she was auditioning as well, and as we entered the choir room, I grabbed her hand and dragged her with me over to where Sam was sitting with his guitar on his lap.

"Hey girls are you ready?" he asked.

"Sorry, can't talk or I'll barf on you," I muttered.

"Nervous much?" he laughed.

I only nodded.

"I've been giving her pep talks all morning, but it doesn't seem to be working," Mercedes chuckled.

Sam laughed along with her.

"Yeah, yeah, take the Mick on the nervous girl," I mumbled, trying to fight the nausea.

"What?" Sam asked, still chuckling.

"Taking the Mick, or Mickey, means making fun of someone. And sweetie, that wasn't my intention," Mercedes said.

I nudged her gently as to say no harm done.

"Don't worry, we get out on the stage, it's all going to be gone. It will feel natural," Sam said trying to make me feel better.

I looked at him for a second before bolting out of the room and into the nearest bathroom, which to my luck was just across the hall.

The pair was quiet for a moment.

"Well, there goes her breakfast," Sam said, breaking the silence.

"Ew," Mercedes muttered before standing up.

"I'm going to go see if she's okay," she added before following me.

* * *

Ten minutes later I was back in the choir room feeling slightly better, but still nervous. Rachel and Finn came back in after their audition, Rachel with a smug smile on her face looking like a cat who got the canary.

"Sam and Ella, you're up," she said brightly.

I groaned quietly.

"Are you ready to do this?" Sam asked picking up his guitar.

"Are you kidding me? We're going on after them," I said, nodding towards the couple who had just sat down.

"So?" he shrugged.

"So, there's a reason they always do the duets. Knowing Rachel, she probably whipped out something insanely fantastic to make sure she and Finn will win. They've got this in the bag, I don't know why I even suggested letting the rest of us have a shot," I rambled.

"Well, Mr. Schu did say it was time to shake things up. Besides, I think we're going to rock his socks," he smiled, trying to ease my nerves.

I nodded and took a deep breath.

"Let's do this."

* * *

"Sam and Ella, great to see you audition," we heard Mr. Schu's voice as we entered the stage.

We looked out into the auditorium to see him sitting by the director's table in the middle of the room.

"Hey Mr. Schu," Sam said while I just waved.

"So, what have you got for me?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.

"We have a duet prepared. It's not written as a duet, but we split up the parts," I nervously babbled.

"Alright, let's hear it," Mr. Schu said.

I nodded at Sam, who started playing.

"_The way you move is like a full on rainstorm  
And I'm a house of cards  
You're the kind of reckless that should send me running  
But I kinda know that I won't get far_

_And you stood there in front of me  
Just close enough to touch  
Close enough to hope you couldn't  
See what I was thinking of_

_**Drop everything now, meet me in the pouring rain  
Kiss me on the sidewalk, take away the pain  
Cause I see sparks fly  
Whenever you smile**_

**_Get me with those green eyes, baby, as the lights go down_**  
**_Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around_**  
**_Cause I see sparks fly_**  
**_Whenever you smile_**

**My mind forgets to remind me  
You're a bad idea**_  
_**You touch me once and it's really something  
You find I'm even better than you imagined I would be**

**I'm on my guard for the rest of the world**  
**But with you I know it's no good**  
**And I could wait patiently**  
**But I really wish you would**

_**Drop everything now, meet me in the pouring rain  
Kiss me on the sidewalk, take away the pain  
Cause I see sparks fly  
Whenever you smile**_

**_Get me with those green eyes, baby, as the lights go down_**  
**_Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around_**  
**_Cause I see sparks fly_**  
**_Whenever you smile_**

_I'll run my fingers through your hair  
And watch the lights go wild  
Just keep on keeping your eyes on me  
It's just wrong enough to make it feel right_

**And lead me up the staircase  
Won't you whisper soft and slow  
I'm captivated by you, baby  
Like a fireworks show**

_Drop everything now, meet me in the pouring rain  
Kiss me on the sidewalk, take away the pain  
Cause I see sparks fly  
Whenever you smile_

**_Get me with those green eyes, baby, as the lights go down_**  
**_Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around_**  
**_Cause I see sparks fly_**  
**_Whenever you smile_**

**_And the sparks fly_**_  
Oh, baby smile  
And the sparks fly.."_

After we finished, Mr. Schu gave us a quick "thank you for coming" before we headed back to the choir room.

* * *

As we got back, Rachel still looked kind of smug.

"So, how did it go?" Mercedes asked excitedly.

"We knocked it out of the park," Sam chuckled and held up his hand for a high five which we both gave him.

"What did you sing?" Rachel asked.

"Taylor Swift, 'Sparks Fly'," Sam replied.

"That's not a duet," she simply stated.

"Well, I'm sure Mr. Schu doesn't mind a bit of creative thinking," Mercedes said and winked at me.

Rachel scoffed and went back to her animated conversation with Finn, which pretty much consisted of her talking and him agreeing to whatever she said.

"Don't worry about miss bossy pants. I'm sure you were awesome," Mercedes nudged me gently.

"Thanks, Cedes," I smiled.

We sat and talked for the rest of the lunch break after Mercedes had auditioned. Soon it was nearly time to go to class, and we all picked up our bags.

As we headed for the door, I nudged Sam to get his attention. He looked at me questioningly. In reply I nodded towards Mercedes, indicating to him that this was his chance.

"Um, Mercedes, can I talk to you for a sec?" he asked the dark skinned girl.

"Sure," she replied, looking slightly taken aback.

Taking this as my cue to leave, I quietly slipped out the door and headed towards my class room with a smile on my face.

* * *

About a minute after I had sat down, Mercedes entered with a big smile on her face.

"So, what did Sam want?" I asked curiously. If there was something Mercedes and I shared, it was the love for gossip.

"He wanted to ask if I wanted to go get coffee together sometime," she beamed.

"Ooh, as in a date?" I giggled.

"I don't know," she admitted, "Just to get to know each other outside the club, I guess. But, that's how it all started between Kurt and Blaine," she giggled as well.

"Really?" I asked. She nodded.

"We sent Kurt to spy on the Warblers before facing them at Regionals last year. They saw right through him of course, but still offered to buy him coffee. Kurt confessed to having problems with bullying, and Blaine kind of became his mentor, but I'm sure they told you that story," she told me, to which I nodded.

"Well, they continued to and still do go out for a cup of coffee together. It's kind of their thing," she finished with a giggle.

"That's like, straight out of a sappy romance novel," I chuckled, making her laugh as well.

Just then the teacher walked in.

"So, when is it going to be?" I asked in a whisper.

"Today, after school," she replied.

"You'd better call and let me know how it goes. Kurt and I will be waiting by the phone as soon as I tell him about this," I told her, making her stifle a laugh as the teacher started the lesson.

* * *

**Song featured in this chapter: "Sparks Fly" - Taylor Swift.**

**You know the drill - awesome reviwers get awesome cookies! **

**Rainbows and butterfly kisses.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello my lovelies! I am so so so sorry for not updating in about 6 months! My life has literally been turned upside down due to my parents divorcing, other family issues and my depression escalating wildly, combined with writer's block from hell. Now I'm back though, and I intend to write more so I'm a few chapters ahead from what I've posted.**

**On a side note, if you like Twilight and/or Supernatural, you should check out my new fic, "Exceeding Boundaries". It's a cross-over between the two where I threw in an OC as well. I have been getting great feedback and I hope you'll check it out. I've also recently posted a Twilight one-shot called "Who Knew?". It would be greatly appreciated if you would take a look and tell me what you think :)**

**I have also decided to stay semi-canon. Honestly I'm still bummed about R. Murphy screwing up my plot (If I could afford a lawyer and actually had a good case to present, I would sue.), but I've decided to take it like a (wo)man and use my creative liberties as a writer :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee. **

* * *

The next day, the ride to school was full of anticipation on my side for two reasons. First of all, Mercedes had never called the night before, leaving me and Kurt waiting by the phone in vain. Secondly, today Mr Schu would announce the result of the audition.

Blaine obviously sensed my nervousness about the results and shot a quick glance at me.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you and Sam knocked Mr Schu right out of his bobby socks," he said.

I chuckled.

"'Bobby socks'? Have you been watching 'Grease' again, Blaine?" I retorted making him laugh.

"Maybe," he replied, though making it obvious that he had.

"You're hopeless," I laughed as we pulled up at the school.

I exited the car and waved goodbye to Blaine before walking into the school building. Tina was waiting for me just inside, having seen Blaine's car pull up.

"Hey! Are you excited for the results?" she greeted me.

"Try nervous," I replied with a giggle that revealed just how nervous I was.

"Don't worry, Mike and I snuck in to listen in on you and Sam. Rachel will just have to take it like a man," she said trying to reassure me.

We parted ways to get to our lockers. As I was heading to class, I realised I hadn't seen Mercedes yet and I couldn't help wondering if she was alright.

* * *

By lunch, the day had been uneventful so far. I hadn't been slushied, lessons had been boring and it was Thursday, the only day I had the first half of the day with sharing classes with Mercedes. I hadn't seen her at all, and I was just about bursting with curiosity.

I all but sighed with relief when I saw her at our usual table. She seemed to be alright. I went over to the table and sat down greeting everyone as I unpacked my lunch.

"So, Cedes, what happened last night? Kurt and I waited for you to call," I said before taking a bite out of my apple.

"Oh my gosh, I completely forgot! I'm so sorry," she gushed in reply.

"So it went that well, huh?" I winked making her blush slightly.

"Whoa, hold up, momma! What are you two talking about?" Artie interjected, resulting in everyone's attention being focused on a now heavily blushing Mercedes.

She shot me a quick glance as to say 'Help me!', so I took matters into my own hands.

"Our dear Cedes was on a coffee date yesterday. With Sam," I added and watched as grins spread all around the table.

"Well, it's about time he decided to grow a pair," Mike chuckled.

"Wait, you knew?" Mercedes blurted out.

"I think we all did," Tina replied with a light giggle.

"I didn't," Finn mumbled.

The rest of lunch was spent small talking as usual. As the bell rang, everyone got up and I gently tugged at Mercedes' arm.

"Details later?" I asked, receiving a nod and a grin in return before I joined Artie on the way to science.

* * *

As Artie and I entered the choir room just before the next period, the room was filled with excited buzzing. Rachel and Finn sat next to each other slightly secluded from the rest. She had a smug smile on her face and looked very pleased with herself.

I went to sit between Artie and Sam, wanting to have Sam near when Mr Schu announced the results. We didn't have to wait long though, because within seconds after I sat down, Mr Schu entered the room holding a piece of paper in his hand.

"Alright you guys, I have the results for you!" he announced, making everyone whoop and cheer in response.

"I know you're all anxious to know the results, so I'm just going to jump right to it," he grinned before positioning the paper in front of him to read out loud.

"The ballad will be performed by Mercedes," he announced.

The rest of us cheered for her, sans Rachel. I snuck a glance at her, watching as her cheeks turned a couple of shades darker, accompanied by a huge grin spreading on her face.

"The finale will have Rachel and Finn on leads," Mr Schu continued.

The cheers seemed a little more damp this time, since it wasn't really much of a surprise.

"And of course, the duet will be performed by… Drum roll please," he paused as the drummer gave the requested drum roll.

"Sam and Ella!" he exclaimed, making cheers erupt throughout the room.

Before I knew it, Sam had pulled me up and into a hug. The people closest to us joined in, making it a massive group hug, before Mr Schu asked us to sit down again.

"Okay, as for the set list, I'm going to discuss this with you guys. I liked the songs you all sang at the auditions, and I suggest we put it to a vote."

He quickly wrote the songs down on the whiteboard behind him and added the names of the people who had sung it after the title of the song.

"Alright. How about we just make it easy, here, and vote yes or no on the audition songs," he suggested.

"For Mercedes, 'Out Here On My Own'?" he read from the board.

"But that's _my_ song!" Rachel protested.

"Pipe down, Berry, I don't see your name on it," Santana hissed.

"Other objections?" Mr Schu asked. Getting no response, he took that as a no.

"Alright, then that's settled. Next, Sam and Ella, 'Sparks Fly' by Taylor Swift. Any objections?" he said, looking pointedly at Rachel, who just sat with her arms crossed looking highly insulted.

"I'll take that as a no. Alright, for the final number, Rachel and Finn's audition song won't work. Do you have any suggestions?" he asked.

"How about some classic rock?" was the suggestion from Sam.

"Oh yeah, we haven't done that before," Santana scoffed, receiving a glare in return from Sam.

"No I think Sam's right. Something classic that people recognize would be a good way to wrap it up," Finn said, earning a glare from Rachel that clearly said, 'What are you doing!'

"Alright, classic rock it is! Which artist?" Mr Schu proceeded.

"Well, we haven't done Queen before, apart from Puck singing 'Fat Bottomed Girls' last year," Artie said.

"Or how about Bowie? There's no way to beat Bowie," Sam suggested.

"How about both?" I said.

"Like, a mash-up?" Tina asked.

"No, I was thinking more like… 'Under Pressure'", I replied with a grin.

Puck smacked his hand to his forehead.

"Puck, do you disagree?" Mr Schu asked.

"No, I just can't believe I didn't think of that!" Puck replied.

"Alright, it looks like we have our set list! Let's get to work!"

* * *

**Here you go! I hope you enjoyed reading, and I would appreciate it if you would take just a minute to review.**

**I will go back to writing now, making sure I have a few chapters up my sleeve to make up for the long wait. I must admit, logging on to my e-mail yesterday and seeing that people still add this story to story alert warms my heart! I love my readers and feel so bad for not updating sooner.**

**Until next time,**

**Unicorns and butterflykisses.**


	18. Author's Note

Hello everyone!

This is not a chapter. In fact, I don't think you'll like what I'm about to say.

I feel like this fic no longer speaks to me the way it used to do. With the direction the show has taken, I feel like I'm not doing it justice. I want to write in so many characters that have been added since I started writing, like Rory and Joe Hart, because I think they're just as important as the characters we've known since season one. Frankly, I don't feel like I'm doing Ryan Murphy's work justice, and I really don't like it. So for now, the story is on hiatus, until I decide what to do with it.

I'm currently working on an idea for a new Glee story, though. It will, as usual in my work, be centred around an OC, but my borrowed character in focus will probably be Joe Hart, because I'll be the first to admit that I absolutely love the character and of course the super talented and wonderful Samuel Larsen. I feel like he's a person that will develop me as a writer while writing him, which is important to me, since I'm currently considering making writing my living, no matter if it will be movie/theatre scripts or books.

I will not stop writing. I love it, and it gives me something that I find helps my depression ease up a bit. When I write, I feel free. So don't expect me to drop off the planet of fanfiction just yet :)

I have absolutely loved writing for you, and I hope to hear from you on my future stories. Your reviews keep me going :)

Unicorns and butterflykisses.


End file.
